Documentary backdrop image for Iraq's Assassins (2021)

202126 minPG-13documentary

Iraq's Assassins

202126 minPG-13documentary

Iran-backed Shia militias in Iraq are implicated in a series of targeted assassinations against critics, including protesters, businesspeople, and politicians.

Genres

Channel: FRONTLINE PBS | Official

Iraq's Assassins

2021• 26 minPG-13

Synopsis

Iran-backed Shia militias in Iraq are implicated in a series of targeted assassinations against critics, including protesters, businesspeople, and politicians.

Synopsis

Iran-backed Shia militias in Iraq have been implicated in a series of targeted assassinations against critics, including protesters, businesspeople, and politicians. Correspondent Ramita Navai presents evidence of "kill lists" that highlight the growing power of these militias, which once fought against ISIS but have since evolved into a formidable political and economic force. Amid a climate of fear, public officials hesitate to challenge these groups, reflecting their deep entrenchment in Iraq's power dynamics.

Comments

What are people saying?

Play More Like This

Iraq in Fragments (2006)

Iraq in Fragments

2006•1h34m•★6.6TMDB

An 11-year-old boy in Baghdad becomes an apprentice to a garage owner after losing his father in the conflict.

Iraq in Fragments

Iraq Uncovered: Investigating Shia Militias' Alleged Abuse of Sunni Civilians (full doc) (2023)

Iraq Uncovered: Investigating Shia Militias' Alleged Abuse of Sunni Civilians (full doc)

Shia militias, integral to Iraq's fight against ISIS, faced serious allegations of kidnapping and abusing Sunni civilians, raising concerns about their unchecked power.

Iraq Uncovered: Investigating Shia Militias' Alleged Abuse of Sunni Civilians (full doc)

Why Iraq is the most fragile front in the US-Israel war on Iran (2026)

Why Iraq is the most fragile front in the US-Israel war on Iran

Iraq's fragile political landscape faces escalating violence as U.S. and Israeli strikes target Iran-backed militias amid halted oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz.

Why Iraq is the most fragile front in the US-Israel war on Iran

Iraq in the Crossfire (2025)

Iraq in the Crossfire

Anne Poiret investigates the formation and ongoing influence of the Popular Mobilisation Forces in Iraq, highlighting their role in the country's instability since 2014.

Iraq in the Crossfire

Iraq's sectarian war (2013)

Iraq's sectarian war

Over 120,000 people died in Iraq following the 2003 invasion, as U.S.-funded paramilitary forces contributed to a brutal sectarian civil war.

Iraq's sectarian war

Evidence of Iran's involvement in the kidnapping of the five Britons in Baghdad (2009)

Evidence of Iran's involvement in the kidnapping of the five Britons in Baghdad

Eighty to 100 men were involved in the 2007 kidnapping of five British citizens in Baghdad, orchestrated by Iranian operatives.

Evidence of Iran's involvement in the kidnapping of the five Britons in Baghdad

Iraq - Kurdish resistance to Iran's regime (2024)

Iraq - Kurdish resistance to Iran's regime

Kurdish exiles in Iraq resist the Iranian regime from secret mountain camps.

Iraq - Kurdish resistance to Iran's regime

Iraq's Social Media Martyrs (2019)

Iraq's Social Media Martyrs

In Iraq, young social media influencers are challenging corruption through beauty, fashion, and rap, but their fame often leads to deadly repercussions.

Iraq's Social Media Martyrs

Iraq's Secret Sex Trade (2026)

Iraq's Secret Sex Trade

Clerics in Iraq exploit an ancient Islamic marriage practice, coercing young girls into temporary marriages for money, leading to devastating consequences for their lives.

Iraq's Secret Sex Trade

Clash of the Clerics - Iraq (2007)

Clash of the Clerics - Iraq

Moqtada al-Sadr, a hardline cleric from a revered Shia family, seeks to replace American influence in Iraq with a Shi'ite administration enforcing Sharia law.

Clash of the Clerics - Iraq

Explore Iraq's Assassins

Browse more like this

Iraq Uncovered: Investigating Shia Militias' Alleged Abuse of Sunni Civilians (full doc) (2023)

Iraq Uncovered: Investigating Shia Militias' Alleged Abuse of Sunni Civilians (full doc)

Shia militias, integral to Iraq's fight against ISIS, faced serious allegations of kidnapping and abusing Sunni civilians, raising concerns about their unchecked power.

Iraq Uncovered: Investigating Shia Militias' Alleged Abuse of Sunni Civilians (full doc)

No digital watch option in your country

Iraq in the Crossfire (2025)

Iraq in the Crossfire

Anne Poiret investigates the formation and ongoing influence of the Popular Mobilisation Forces in Iraq, highlighting their role in the country's instability since 2014.

Iraq in the Crossfire

No digital watch option in your country

Iraq - Kurdish resistance to Iran's regime (2024)

Iraq - Kurdish resistance to Iran's regime

Kurdish exiles in Iraq resist the Iranian regime from secret mountain camps.

Iraq - Kurdish resistance to Iran's regime

No digital watch option in your country

Undercover with the Clerics: Iraq's Secret Sex Trade (2019)

Undercover with the Clerics: Iraq's Secret Sex Trade

2019•59m•★7.2TMDB

Nawal al-Maghafi investigates how some Shia clerics exploit 'pleasure marriage' to manipulate vulnerable girls and young women in Iraq.

Undercover with the Clerics: Iraq's Secret Sex Trade

Forget Baghdad: Jews and Arabs - The Iraqi Connection (2002)

Forget Baghdad: Jews and Arabs - The Iraqi Connection

2002•1h52m•★8.5TMDB

The Mizrahim, or Jewish community of Iraq, is the focus of this 2002 documentary that examines their history and cultural connections.

Forget Baghdad: Jews and Arabs - The Iraqi Connection

Iraq War: Insurgency and Counter-Insurgency (2005)

Iraq War: Insurgency and Counter-Insurgency

A loosely organized insurgency continues to target American and Coalition soldiers, Iraqi security forces, and civilians, resulting in widespread violence and chaos.

Iraq War: Insurgency and Counter-Insurgency

Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers (2006)

Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers

2006•1h15m•★7.8TMDB

More than $10 billion was made by major contractors like Halliburton and Blackwater from U.S. government contracts during the Iraq War.

Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers

Stronger Than a Bullet (2017)

Stronger Than a Bullet

2017•1h15m•★8.0TMDB

The Iran-Iraq War began on September 22, 1980, when Saddam Hussein launched an invasion of Iran following the establishment of the Islamic Republic.

Stronger Than a Bullet

The Iraq War (2013)

The Iraq War

2013•1h•★8.0TMDB

Three episodes feature former members of Saddam Hussein's regime discussing their private conversations as the threat of war escalated.

Three Men in a Boat (2006)

Three Men in a Boat

2006•1h34m•★5.8TMDB

An 11-year-old boy in Baghdad becomes an apprentice to a strict garage owner after losing his father.

Three Men in a Boat

Iran: The Next Iraq? (2005)

Iran: The Next Iraq?

2005•50m•★6.0TMDB

Following the September 11 attacks, Iran's nuclear advancements and bold threats raise concerns for American security and global superpowers.

Iran: The Next Iraq?

The Insurgency (2006)

The Insurgency

On February 21, FRONTLINE presents firsthand accounts from civilians whose families were targeted by insurgents in Iraq.

Gangs of Iraq (2007)

Gangs of Iraq

Scores of bodies litter the streets of Baghdad as the U.S. spends billions to train Iraqi forces amid rising violence and sectarian militia infiltration.

Is this your film?

If you made this film or hold the rights to it, we'd like to talk. We can license it and pay you a share of what it earns.

License it with us →