Ansar al-Islam in Kurdistan

Not to be confused with Jabhat Ansar al-Islam, Ansaru, or Jund al-Islam.
For other uses, see Ansar ul Islam (disambiguation).
Ansar al-Islam
ئەنسارولئیسلام
Leaders
Dates of operation
  • In Iraq:
  • September 2001 – August 2014[2]
  • In Syria:
  • 2011 – present[3][4][5][6]
MotivesEstablishment of an Islamic state in Kurdistan, and the protection of Kurds
HeadquartersHamrin Mountains[6]
Active regionsIraqi Kurdistan,[7] Syria
Ideology
SizePeak: 700+[9]
Part of Rouse the Believers Operations Room[10]
Allies
Ahrar al-Sham
Opponents
Battles and warsIraq War

Syrian civil war

Designated as a terrorist group bySee Section
Preceded by
Jund al-Islam and Kurdistan Islamic Movement splinter

Ansar al-Islam in Kurdistan (Kurdish: ئەنسارولئیسلام له کوردستاندا),[16][17] simply called Ansar al-Islam (Kurdish: ئەنسارولئیسلام), is a Kurdish Islamist militant and separatist group.[18] It was established in northern Iraq around the Kurdistan Region by Kurdish Islamists who were former Taliban and former Al-Qaeda volunteers, which were coming back from Afghanistan in 2001 after the Fall of Kabul. It was formed with the motive of establishing an Islamic state around the Kurdistan region and protecting Kurds from other armed insurgent groups during the Iraqi insurgency.[19] It imposed strict Sharia in villages it controlled around Byara near the Iranian border.

The group was a designated terrorist organization in the United Nations, Australia, Canada, Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and a known affiliate of the al-Qaeda network.[20]

On 29 August 2014, 50 members and commanders of Ansar al-Islam announced that they were joining ISIS individually, however Ansar al-Islam continued to oppose ISIS and kept functioning independently. Abu Khattab al-Kurdi was among those who left Ansar al-Islam for ISIS, and he later became an ISIS commander.[21][22] When a previously unknown Kurdish militant group using white flags appeared in Iraq in 2017, Iraqi security and intelligence officials argued that this was splinter group of Ansar al-Islam, which reportedly still had hundreds of fighters operating in the Hamrin Mountains.[6]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference lwjjan2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "The Islamic State (IS) and Pledges of Allegiance: The Case of Jamaat Ansar al-Islam". Archived from the original on 2022-08-28. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
  3. ^ "IS disciplines some emirs to avoid losing base". 2 September 2014. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  4. ^ "Iraqi Jihadist Group Swears Alleigance to Islamic State". 29 August 2014. Archived from the original on 1 September 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  5. ^ Thomas Joscelyn (7 August 2016). "Jihadists and other rebels claim to have broken through siege of Aleppo". The Long War Journal. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  6. ^ a b c Suadad al-Salhy (14 December 2017). "Kurdish militant group re-emerges in northern Iraq under new name". Arab News. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Ansar al-Islam in Iraqi Kurdistan". Human Rights Watch. Archived from the original on 2019-05-09. Retrieved 2016-10-21. Ansar al-Islam fi Kurdistan (Supporters of Islam in Kurdistan) is one of a number of Sunni Islamist groups based in the Kurdish-controlled northern provinces of Iraq.
  8. ^ a b Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (11 May 2014). "Key Updates on Iraq's Sunni Insurgent Groups". Brown Moses Blog. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  9. ^ Schanzer, Jonathan (Winter 2004). "Ansar al-Islam: Back in Iraq" (PDF). Middle East Quarterly: 41–50. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 May 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016 – via The Washington Institute.
  10. ^ a b "Military groups calling themselves "the finest factions of the Levant" form joint operations room". Syria Call. 15 October 2018. Archived from the original on 17 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  11. ^ "Ansar al-Islam (Iraq, Islamists/Kurdish Separatists), Ansar al-Sunnah". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 2022-05-05. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  12. ^ "The Hidden Hand of Iran in the Resurgence of Ansar al-Islam". Jamestown. Archived from the original on 2020-10-08. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  13. ^ "The Islamic State's curious cover story | FDD's Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org. January 5, 2015. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  14. ^ says, Jeff Logan (June 20, 2014). "Ansar al Islam claims attacks against Iraqi military, police | FDD's Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org. Archived from the original on May 5, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  15. ^ "Ansar al Islam claims first attack in Iraq since 2014 | FDD's Long War Journal". 31 October 2019. Archived from the original on 2020-07-28. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  16. ^ "Ansar al-Islam in Iraqi Kurdistan (Human Rights Watch Backgrounder)". Archived from the original on 2019-05-09. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
  17. ^ Chalk, Peter, Encyclopedia of Terrorism Volume 1, 2012, ABC-CLIO
  18. ^ "Ansar al-Islam (Iraq, Islamists/Kurdish Separatists), Ansar al-Sunnah". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 2022-05-05. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  19. ^ "Does Kurdish jihadist group threaten Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in north Syria? - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East". www.al-monitor.com. 20 June 2021. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  20. ^ Schanzer, Jonathan. Al-Qaeda's armies: Middle East affiliate groups & the next generation of terror. Specialist Press International. New York, 2005.
  21. ^ "IS disciplines some emirs to avoid losing base – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East". Al-Monitor. 2014-09-02. Archived from the original on 2016-03-08. Retrieved 2014-09-07.
  22. ^ "Jihadist Group Swears Loyalty to Islamic State – Middle East – News". Arutz Sheva. 29 August 2014. Archived from the original on 1 September 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.