Groups · Bahraini Shia militant group
Saraya al-Ashtar
Overview
State: "Established in 2013, AAB is an Iran-backed terrorist organization aimed at overthrowing the Bahraini government." (2017-2021.state.gov)
State: "In March 2014, AAB conducted a bomb attack that killed two local police officers and an officer from the United Arab Emirates." (2017-2021.state.gov)
Outside Support in US Documents
State links AAB to the IRGC (branding, IRGC-funded camps in Iraq) in this release; it does not name the Qods Force. (2017-2021.state.gov)
From MEF Research
Iran continued its efforts to destabilize Bahrain using groups such as the Al-Ashtar Brigades, which carried out bombings and armed attacks against Bahraini security forces.
Leaders
Names, titles and roles exactly as given in US designation documents. Titles reflect the date of the document and may be out of date.
| Name (OFAC Spelling) | Role as Stated | On SDN List Since | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| AHMED, Qassim Abdullah Ali | 2018-08-13 | OFAC record |
History
- 2013 State: AAB was established in 2013. (2017-2021.state.gov)
- 2014-03 State: an AAB bomb attack killed two local police officers and a UAE officer. (2017-2021.state.gov)
- 2017-01 State: AAB shot and killed a local police officer. (2017-2021.state.gov)
- 2018-01 State: AAB formally adopted IRGC branding. (2017-2021.state.gov)
- 2018-07-10 AL-ASHTAR BRIGADES added to the OFAC SDN List. (OFAC SDN record 24723)
- 2018-07-10 State designated al-Ashtar Brigades (Saraya al-Ashtar), a Bahrain-focused group, as an FTO and SDGT. (2017-2021.state.gov)
- 2018-07-11 Federal Register notice: State designated al-Ashtar Brigades a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. (federalregister.gov)
- 2018-07-11 Federal Register notice: State designated al-Ashtar Brigades a Foreign Terrorist Organization. (federalregister.gov)
Designations
| Date | Record | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-07-11 | Federal Register notice | In the Matter of the Designation of al-Ashtar Brigades (AAB), aka Saraya al-Ashtar, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (83 FR 32179) | federalregister.gov |
| 2018-07-11 | Federal Register notice | In the Matter of the Designation of al-Ashtar Brigades (AAB), aka Saraya al-Ashtar, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization Pursuant to Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as Amended (83 FR 32179) | federalregister.gov |
| 2018-07-10 | OFAC SDN List entry | AL-ASHTAR BRIGADES: programs FTO, SDGT; on the SDN List since 2018-07-10 (OFAC enhanced list date). | OFAC SDN record 24723 |
| 2018-07-10 | State Department release | State designated al-Ashtar Brigades (Saraya al-Ashtar), a Bahrain-focused group, as an FTO and SDGT. | 2017-2021.state.gov |
Activity
- 0 attacks and clashes
- 2 money and logistics events
- 1 counteraction
| Date | Type | Groups | Place | Summary | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-03-12 | Money and logistics | Saraya al-Ashtar | Iran (country named most often in the release) | Treasury sanctions action; the release names Saraya al-Ashtar. | US Treasury press release |
| 2022-06-06 | Money and logistics | Hezbollah, Saraya al-Ashtar, Saraya al-Mukhtar | Iran (country named most often in the release) | Treasury sanctions action; the release names Hezbollah, Saraya al-Ashtar, Saraya al-Mukhtar. | US Treasury press release |
| 2018-07-10 | Counteractions | Saraya al-Ashtar | Washington, D.C. (designation) | State designated al-Ashtar Brigades (Saraya al-Ashtar), a Bahrain-focused group, as an FTO and SDGT. | State |
MEF Coverage
MEF-written articles in the local meforum.org archive that mention this group (2 shown; the archive covers 2004-09-01 to 2026-08-28).