Ali Musa Daqduq

Who is Ali Musa Daqduq?

Ali Mussa Daqduq is a senior Hezbollah leader and senior advisor to Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq leader Qais al-Khazali. He was captured by US troops in Basra, Iraq on 20 March 2007 along with Qais al-Khazali and his brother Laith al-Khazali. He is alleged to have participated in a 20 January 2007 attack on US troops in Karbala, Iraq. Later two Iraqi courts found him not guilty of masterminding the 2007 raid on an American military base and released him from prison.US Intelligence has alleged that Daqduq's testimony during his internment is key evidence for collaboration between Iran and Hezbollah.

Daqduq pretended to be deaf and mute when he was captured, and refused to speak for weeks.

On 2 July 2007 US forces identified that they had captured Daqduq. They asserted he was a member of Hezbullah, and was operating with support from Iran. The 2 July press briefing published images of Daqduq's forged identity documents. Iranian officials denied that assertion on 4 July 2007.

In November 2011 Reuters reported that the US was negotiating with the Iraqi government to hold Daqduq in US custody after the US pulls out of Iraq in December 2011.

Daqduq was transferred to Iraqi custody on 18 December 2011.