Fatah al-Islam

Not to be confused with Fatah.
For other uses, see Fatah (disambiguation).
Fatah al-Islam
فتح الإسلام
LeadersShaker al-Abssi †
Abu Mohamad Awad[1] †
Abu Hussam al Shami[2] †
Dates of operation2006–present
HeadquartersAin al-Hilweh Palestinian Refugee Camp
Nahr al-Bared Palestinian Refugee Camp (former)
Active regionsLebanon
Syria
IdeologySunni Islamism
Sunni Jihadism
Anti-Zionism
Size~200
Allies Al-Qaeda
Jund al-Sham
Osbat al-Nour
Opponents Lebanese Armed Forces
Syrian Armed Forces
Fatah al-Intifada[3]
Battles and wars2007 Lebanon conflict
Syrian Civil War
Designated as a terrorist group by Lebanon[4]
 Syria[5]
 United Arab Emirates[6]

Fatah al-Islam (Arabic: فتح الإسلام, meaning: Conquest of Islam) is a Sunni Islamist militant group established in November 2006 in a Palestinian refugee camp, located in Lebanon.[8] It has been described as a militant jihadist[9] movement that draws inspiration from al-Qaeda.[9][10][11] It became well known in 2007 after engaging in combat against the Lebanese Army in the Nahr al-Bared UNRWA Palestinian refugee camp. Following its defeat at Nahr el-Bared, the group relocated to the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp near Sidon in 2008.[12] As of 2014, after the death or capture of many members, most of the surviving members of Fatah al-Islam are thought to have joined other groups in Lebanon and Syria including the Free Syrian Army, Al-Nusra Front, Ahrar al-Sham, and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.[12]

The United States Department of State classified the group as a terrorist organization on 9 August 2007[13] but it was not classified as such anymore on 24 November 2010.[14]

  1. ^ "Fatah al-Islam says leader 'dead'". BBC News. December 10, 2008. Archived from the original on September 15, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  2. ^ "Fatah al Islam emir killed while waging jihad in Syria". Long War Journal. 5 September 2012. Archived from the original on 10 January 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  3. ^ Gary C. Gambill. "The Rise of Fatah al-Islam". Global Politician. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  4. ^ https://www.radiosawa.com/archive/2007/06/07/ [dead link‍]
  5. ^ "المعلم: العبسي مطلوب للأمن السوري - صحيفة الاتحاد". Archived from the original on 2021-12-28. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  6. ^ "مجلس الوزراء يعتمد قائمة التنظيمات الإرهابية. | WAM". 2014-11-15. Archived from the original on 17 November 2014. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  7. ^ Mshari Al-Zaydi (23 May 2007). "Nahr al Bared Up in Flames!". Asharq Al-Awsat. Archived from the original on 13 February 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  8. ^ Deborah Amos (2007-05-21). "Al-Qaida Inspired Groups on the Rise in Lebanon". National Public Radio. Archived from the original on 2007-11-21. Retrieved 2007-05-23.
  9. ^ a b Le Figaro (16 April 2007). "Fatah Al-Islam: the new terrorist threat hanging over Lebanon" Archived 2007-06-06 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 May 2007.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference IHT_20070315 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Reuters (19 May 2007). "Lebanese army battles militants at Palestinian camp". Retrieved 20 May 2007.
  12. ^ a b Salhani, Justin (6 December 2014). "Forgotten, but not gone: Fatah al-Islam still a factor in Lebanon". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 2016-01-20. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  13. ^ "Fatah al-Islam Finally Designated A Terrorist Group By U.S. State Dept". fatahalislam.org. 2007-08-13. Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
  14. ^ "Foreign Terrorist Organizations". State.gov. 2010-11-24. Archived from the original on April 9, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-27.