Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq

The Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), known since 2009 as the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (ISCI), is a Shiite political party in Iraq with an active militant wing. ISCI was established by Shiite exiles in Iran, who, in 1982, formed the group with a mission to overthrow Saddam Hussein and install an Iranian-style government. After Saddam Hussein was overthrown, the party quickly tried to establish power in Iraq under the guidance of its new leader, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim. Al-Hakim led the group to increased power through a series of image reforms coupled with pragmatic political decisions to distance the group from its unpopular linkages with Iran and the United States. One of the main ways that al-Hakim distanced the group from Iran was by switching its formal name to the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI); however, the group is still commonly referred to as SCIRI. ISIC’s militia is still active, and is by some estimates 10,000 strong. The militia mainly active in the north, where it has in recent years clashed with the British army and Mahdi forces. The group continues, to varying degrees, advocate a separate Shiite-run region in the oil-rich southern Iraq. In 2009, its leader al-Hakim died and was succeeded by his son, Ammar al-Hakim, but doubts remain about his ability to effectively lead the group.