A decade after the ISIS genocide devastated Iraq’s Nineveh Plain, the region’s Christian communities face a new threat from the Babylon Brigade. Led by Rayan al-Kildani, who claims to represent Christian interests, this militia is made up mainly of Shia fighters from southern Iraq and is heavily backed by Iran. Al-Kildani, a key figure in the Babil movement and commander of its armed wing, the Babil Brigade, has significant Iranian backing.
A recent decision by the Nineveh Provincial Council has sparked widespread outrage among local communities, according to a report by Genocide Watch. The council voted to dismiss 15 mayors and directors from Christian and Yazidi majority areas, including the historic towns of Qaraqosh, Bartella, and the Yazidi heartland of Sinjar.
In July 2024, tensions rose when the Nineveh Provincial Council, heavily influenced by Rayan Al-Kildani, voted to remove 15 key Christian officials from Qaraqosh, Bartella, Tel Kef and Sinjar. Al-Kildani used his pro-Iranian Babylon Movement’s majority of 16 out of 29 council seats to push through the decision. The move provoked a united outcry from Christian leaders, who condemned it as both illegal and harmful to their communities. In response, the Opposition Alliance, which includes the United Nineveh Alliance and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), suspended its membership and filed a legal challenge, suspending the decision pending a court ruling.
Kildani’s political movement, the Babylon Movement, has been criticised for manipulating electoral laws to secure parliamentary seats for Christians, thereby stifling the community’s voice. Al-Kildani’s Babylon Brigade has also been accused of obstructing the return of displaced residents by seizing land and exerting control over local government.
The legality the decision of dismiss 15 mayors and directors from Christian and Yazidi-majority eras, is now under review by the Iraqi Federal Court, with a ruling expected in the coming weeks. If the court upholds the decision, it could further undermine the already fragile political representation of Christians in Iraq.
As Iraq’s Christian population dwindles, the international community faces mounting pressure to intervene.
Before the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, Iraq was home to 1.5 million Christians. However, the invasion and subsequent rise in sectarian violence have drastically reduced that number to between 150,000 and 250,000 today.
