Iraq's complex security infrastructure includes tens of thousands of fighters in units trained and armed by its powerful neighbour Iran, with some ties going back several decades.
These factions make up the bulk of the Hashed al-Shaabi military network, founded in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group (IS) and now largely incorporated into Iraq's government forces.
But after protests outside the US embassy organised by the Hashed, US air strikes on them and a string of attacks on US forces in Iraq, the groups face fresh scrutiny.
Kataeb Hezbollah
Nujaba, Shuhada, and more
Asaib Ahl al-Haq
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