1. September17,2015
Iran’s Role in the Refugee Crisis
In spring2014, the Governmentof Iraq,Iran,and Iraqi Shi’amilitiascoordinatedtodefendagainstthe
ISISadvance throughIraq. Grand AyatollahSistani issuedaFatwahtofightagainstISIS,and the Hashd
al-Shaabi (PopularMobilization Force) wasformed. The PopularMobilization Force (PMF) isanumbrella
organizationof approximately120,000 Shi’amilitiamen. The organizationisled,trained,andequipped
by Iran’sIRCG, andits mosteffectiveunits(BadrOrganization,Asa’ibAhlal-Haq,Hezbolla, Sarayaal
Salam,and LiwaAbual-Fadhal al-Abbas)are directIranianproxiesthatare fightinginbothSyriaand
Iraq. The PMF isopenlyhostiletowardthe US,and itscore unitshave beenconductingaproxywarfor
Iran againstthe U.S. since 2006. Collectively,theyare responsible for thousandsof lethal explosively
formedpenetrator(EFP) attacksagainstU.S.and Iraqi forces,targetedkidnappingsof Westerners,
rocketand mortar attacks on U.S.Installations, the murdersof hundredsof AmericansoldiersandIraqi
civilians,andthe assassinationof Iraqi officials.
Nowthat the ISISadvance on Baghdad has beenhalted,Iranisusingitsproxymilitiasto alterthe
demographicsof the historicallypredominatelySunni ArabGovernoratesof Al-Anbar,Ninevah,Salahal
al-Din,andDiyala(ANSD) andredrawthe sociopolitical boundariesof Iraq. A highrankingAsa’ibAhl al-
Haq officertolda Knowledge InformationServices(KIS) researcherthatthe PMF’s planforthe ANSD
Governorates istorelocate one-thirdof the Sunni population,convertone-thirdtoShiaIslam, and
enslave the remainingone-third. Internallydisplacedpersons(IDPs) interviewedbyKISinthese
Governoratesconfirmthe PMF’sintent. All intervieweesreportedthatthe Shi’aMilitiaswould notallow
themto returnto theirhomes unlesstheyconvertedtoShi’aIslamorsignedoverthe rightstotheir
propertyandagreedto indenturedservitude. The intervieweesalsoreportedthatthe militias
kidnappedwomen(toforce themintoprostitution) andmurderedmenwhotheyaccusedof
collaboratingwithDaesh.
There are twotypesof IDPs inthe ANSDGovernorates: those whofledthe IslamicState andthose who
have beenforciblydisplacedbyPMFmilitias. The PMFis evictingall non-Iraqi Shi’afromthe towns
adjacentto IslamicState controlledareas. The PMFmilitiasdonotallow anyIDPsto returnto their
place of originunlesstheyagree tothe stipulationsdiscussedabove. Veryfew acceptthe conditions.
The IslamicState and Kurdishmilitiasfurtherrestricttravel of ANSDIDPs.
Presumably,Iran’sproxymilitiasare engaginginthisbehaviorto exertcontrol and extendthe “buffer”
betweenIranandthe neighboringSunnistates. However,the resultisthat manyof the 3.1 millionIraqi
IDPsare trappedinside the ANSDGovernorates. The International Organizationof Migration(IOM)
estimatesthatonly1%of these IDPsreside incamps. Most of the ANSD IDPsare forcedtolive withhost
families,inabandonedbuildings,orinmakeshiftsheltersoutsideestablishedtowns. Due tothe security
situation,these IDPare beyondthe reachof the UN Refugee Agencyorotheraidorganizations. The
ANSDIDPs have exhaustedtheirresources anddesperatelyneedshelter,water,sanitation,and
protection fromthe militiaswhopreyuponthem.

2. The PMF’s forceddisplacement activitiesare well documented. The UnitedNationsOffice of the High
CommissionerforHumanRights(OHCHR) reportedthatas the PMF militiasmovedtowardthe Islamic
State controlledareasincentral Iraq,“theyseemedtooperate withtotal impunity, leavingatrail of
deathand destructionintheirwake.” HumanRightsWatchconcluded,fromwitnessaccounts,that
“buildingdestructioninatleast47 predominantlySunnivillageswasmethodicalanddrivenbyrevenge
and intendedtoalterthe demographiccompositionof Iraq’straditionallydiverse provincesof Salahal-
Dinand Kirkuk.” The PMF used the premise thatthose whowere once ruledbythe IslamicState orlived
adjacentto themmustbe IslamicState sympathizersorcollaboratorstojustifylootinganddestroying
the villages.
Iran’sforceddisplacementpolicy isexacerbatingthe Europeanrefugee crisis. More and more Iraqisare
turningto smugglerstoseekpassage toEurope and the UN estimatesthatmore than50,000 Iraqishave
departed forEurope inthe past three months. UnitedNationsHumanitarianCoordinatorforIraq,Ms.
Lise Grande,saidthat “Tensof thousandsof Iraqishave fledthe conflictforthe safetyof Europe and
hundredsof thousandscouldfollowunlessmuchmore isdone toalleviate the suffering of the more
than 8 millionmen,womenandchildreninIraqwhoneedourhelp”.
The conflictwithISISisnot the cause of Iraq’srefugee crisis. Iran’sproxymilitiasare creatingIDPsand
preventmanyof Iraq’s3.1 milliondisplacedpersonsfromseekingassistance insideIraq. The refugee
crisisinEurope will continue toescalate until Iranceasesitseffortstochange the demographicsof the
ANSDGovernorates.