US announces $10m reward for information on Kataib Hezbollah chief

The US on Tuesday announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the whereabouts of Kataib Hezbollah leader Ahmad Al Hamidawi.

In a statement, the State Department’s Rewards for Justice programme accused Al Hamidawi of overseeing attacks on US diplomatic sites carried out by the Iraq-based group.

“For years, KH has repeatedly targeted US personnel and facilities in Iraq with IEDs, rockets and unmanned aircraft systems, kidnapped US citizens and killed innocent Iraqi civilians,” the statement said.

It added, “As the leader of KH, Al Hamidawi has played a central role in planning attacks against US and Iraqi government security forces since 2007.”

Kataib Hezbollah was designated a foreign terrorist organisation in 2009, while Al Hamidawi himself was listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the State Department in February 2020.

The group has been linked to a number of attacks on US forces and their partners, including a 2019 strike in Kirkuk that killed an American civilian contractor and injured several others. It has also been accused of involvement in the recent kidnapping of US journalist Shelly Kittleson.