I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 361 

To impose terrorism-related sanctions with respect to As-Saib Ahl Al-Haq 

and Harakat Hizballah Al-Nujaba, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 9, 2019 

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. CHABOT, and 

Mr. SUOZZI) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To impose terrorism-related sanctions with respect to AsSaib Ahl Al-Haq and Harakat Hizballah Al-Nujaba, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Iranian Proxies Ter5 rorist Sanctions Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) As-Saib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) is an Iraqi para9 military group founded in 2006. Harakat Hizballah 


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1 al-Nujaba (Nujaba) is an affiliated faction of AAH 

2 and the United States-designated foreign terrorist 

3 organization Kata’ib Hizballah that was formed in 

4 2013. 

5 (2) AAH and Nujaba are provided training, 

6 funding, and arms by the Iranian Islamic Revolu7 tionary Guard Corps (IRGC), IRGC-Quds Force, 

8 and mentored by Lebanese Hizballah. AAH leader, 

9 Qais Khazali, has pledged allegiance to Iran’s Su10 preme Leader Ali Khamenei. 

11 (3) AAH conducted numerous attacks against 

12 the United States and coalition forces in Iraq be13 tween its inception in 2006 and the United States 

14 withdrawal in December 2011. This includes the 

15 January 20, 2007, attack on the Karbala Provincial 

16 Headquarters that resulted in the killing of CPT 

17 Brian S. Freeman, 1LT Jacob N. Fritz, SPC Jona18 than B. Chism, PFC Shawn P. Falter, and PFC 

19 Jonathon M. Millican—four of whom were abducted 

20 and later executed. 

21 (4) AAH and Nujaba deploy forces to Syria to 

22 fight on behalf of the Bashar al-Assad regime, in23 cluding participating in the 2016 siege of Aleppo 

24 where the United Nations High Commissioner for 


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1 Human Rights alleges pro-government Iraqi militia 

2 groups executed dozens of civilians. 

3 (5) In 2015, Human Rights Watch alleged 

4 AAH participated in forced evictions, kidnappings, 

5 and extrajudicial killings of Sunni and Kurdish civil6 ians in areas liberated from the Islamic State. 

7 (6) Nujaba is led by Akram al-Kabi, who was 

8 designated by the Department of the Treasury under 

9 Executive Order 13438 for threatening the peace 

10 and stability of Iraq. According to the United States 

11 Government, Kabi participated in multiple mortar 

12 and rocket attacks on the International Zone, or 

13 Green Zone, in Baghdad in early 2008. Kabi and 

14 other Nujaba commanders have claimed they follow 

15 orders from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei 

16 and declared in March 2016 support for Lebanese 

17 Hizballah. 

18 (7) In 2017, a Nujaba spokesman declared that 

19 it had formed a unit tasked to ‘‘liberate’’ the Golan 

20 Heights from Israeli control and reports indicate the 

21 group is playing a key role in securing a land route 

22 between Iran and Lebanon to provide military aid to 

23 Lebanese Hezbollah. 


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1 SEC. 3. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Beginning on the date that is 90 

3 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Presi4 dent shall impose the sanctions described in subsection (c) 

5 with respect to As-Saib Ahl al-Haq (AAH), Harakat 

6 Hizballah al-Nujaba (Nujaba), and foreign persons that 

7 are officials, agents, or affiliates of AAH or Nujaba. 

8 (b) DETERMINATION WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN

9 INDIVIDUALS.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall submit 

11 to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 

12 of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign 

13 Relations of the Senate a determination, including a 

14 detailed justification, on whether any of the individ15 uals described in paragraph (2) meets the criteria 

16 for the application of sanctions described in sub17 section (a). 

18 (2) INDIVIDUALS DESCRIBED.—The individuals 

19 described in this paragraph are the following: 

20 (A) Qais al-Khazali. 

21 (B) Laith al-Khazali. 

22 (C) Akram Abbas al-Kaabi. 

23 (D) Shibl al-Zaydi. 

24 (E) Kazim al-Ta’i. 

25 (F) Hamid al-Jazairi. 

26 (G) Ali al-Yasiri. 


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1 (c) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.—The sanctions de2 scribed in this subsection are sanctions applicable with re3 spect to a foreign person pursuant to Executive Order 

4 13224 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to blocking property 

5 and prohibiting transactions with persons who commit, 

6 threaten to commit, or support terrorism). 

7 SEC. 4. WATCHLISTS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall an9 nually establish, maintain, and publish a global list of 

10 armed groups, militias, or proxy forces receiving logistical, 

11 military, or financial assistance from the IRGC or over 

12 which the IRGC exerts any form of control or influence. 

13 (b) PUBLICATION.—The lists required under sub14 section (a) shall be published as part of the Department 

15 of State’s Annual Country Reports on Terrorism, begin16 ning with the first such Country Reports published after 

17 the date of the enactment of this Act. 

18 (c) FORM.—If the Secretary of State determines that 

19 such is appropriate, the Secretary may, not later than 30 

20 days after publication of the annual Country Reports on 

21 Terrorism referred to in subsection (b), submit to the 

22 Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representa23 tives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Sen24 ate a classified annex. 

Æ 


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