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Battalion of the Sayyid's Martyrs (Iraq)

Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS)

image by William Garrison, 24 October 2014

Overview
The Flag
Revised design

See also:

Overview

Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS) is an armed illegal group fighting in Syria's Civil War. Some sources call it an offshot of the The Badr Organization since it is closely related. They may be allied or they may be an extension of the Badr Corps (also known as Bard Organization Military Wing), as this points out: "Since Badr did not announce its involvement in Syria until July, 2013, this may be a signal that KSS was used as a front group to send Badr fighters to Syria."
Source: http://jihadology.net/category/badr-organization/
Thus, it is an Iraq-related organization, and not Iranian as suggested.
At present, the KSS’s main raison d’être appears to be as a source for Iraqi Shia fighters who can be used to "Defend the Zaynab Shrine", a major Shia Islamic site in Syria.
For a list of armed groups in the Syrian Civil War (2011-current) please see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_armed_groups_in_the_Syrian_Civil_War
Esteban Rivera, 14 October 2014

The Flag

image located by William Garrison, 25 September 2014

This is the flag of Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS). KSS translates as The Battalion of the Sayyid’s Martyrs.
Source: http://www.trackingterrorism.org/group/kata%E2%80%99ib-sayyid-al-shuhada-kss.
Here are some pictures of the KSS flag:
- http://azelin.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/untitled335.png?w=300&h=406 (Source: http://jihadology.net/category/badr-organization/ )
- http://azelin.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/untitled346.png?w=300&h=400
(And here's another picture, taken around August-September 2013) (Source: http://jihadology.net/category/badr-organization/)
- http://azelin.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/untitled363.png?w=300&h=199 (Source: http://jihadology.net/category/badr-organization/)
Esteban Rivera, 14 October 2014

image located by William Garrison, 24 October 2014

Yellow flag of the "Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada", in Dhi Quar province (in southern Iraq) c. Sept. 2014.
In the background is a wall banner depicting the Supreme Leader of Iran: Ayatollah Khamenei (a Shia Muslim). Therefore, the Kata'ib is viewed as an Iraqi Shia militia coordinating as a "proxy" for the Shia-regime of Iran. The logo depicts two AK-47 rifles surrounding the green-domed shrine of Imam Hussain (Shia) in Karbala, Iraq. The red flag above the dome depicts the blood shed by the martyr Imam Hussain during the Battle of Karbala; a black flag is flown atop the shrine during the month of mourning.
William Garrison, 24 October 2014

Revised design

image located by William Garrison, 16 October 2024

The apparent revised "Kata’ib al-Shuhada" flag, as this one still has its normal yellow-field but with a "red-triangle canton" at its hoist side. While I could not find any literature that specifically stated as to why the red-triangle was added, as this group supports the "Palestinian Liberation Movement", one might surmise the red-triangle was added to mimic the national flag of Palestine and thereby show solidarity with them. The first display of this revised flag was in Baghdad on Dec. 31, 2019, but I have seen no other use of it until a pro-Palestinian rally on Oct. 11, 2024 (perhaps in Baghdad), when this militia's secretary-general Abu Alaa al-Wala’i, spoke in praise of the “Palestinian resistance” for its “repeated attacks against Tel Aviv”. Per Wikipedia: The "Master of Martyrs Battalions" or Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada' (KSS) [Arabic:: كتائب سيد الشهداء] or "The Battalions of the Master of Martyrs" (he being: Shia-Muslim Imam Husayn/Hussain), officially the "14th Brigade", is a radical Iraqi Shia militia formed in 2013. Its stated mission is to protect "(Shia) shrines across the globe", preserve "Iraqi unity" and to "put an end to the sectarian conflict". KSS is funded, trained and equipped by IRGC's Quds Force and Hezbollah" at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kata%27ib_Sayyid_al-Shuhada

Sources: (2019) https://www.yahoo.com/news/iraqi-mourners-try-storm-us-083731926.html and (2024) 80% of the way down the page at: https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/spotlight-on-iran-and-the-shiite-axis-october-9-15-2024/
William Garrison, 16 October 2024