Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order

Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order
جيش رجال الطريقة النقشبندية
LeadersIzzat Ibrahim al-Douri  (founder, 2006–2020)
Salah Al-Mukhtar (2020–present)
Dates of operation30 December 2006 – present[1]
Allegiance Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region
Group(s)Intifada Ahrar al-Iraq (2012-13)[2]
MotivesRe-establishment of Ba'athist Iraq
Active regionsNorthwestern and western Iraq
Sunni Triangle
Baghdad Belts
IdeologyBa'athism
Arab nationalism
Pan-Arabism
Islamism[3][4][5][6]
Size1,500 to 5,000 (2011)[7]
Part ofSupreme Command for Jihad and Liberation
Allies MCIR
Free Iraqi Army (until 2014)
Anbar Tribal Councils
Guardians of Religion Organization[8] (alleged)
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia[9][10][11] (alleged)
OpponentsIraq Republic of Iraq  Iran
 Syria
 United States
Islamic State of Iraq and Levant[13][14][15]
Battles and warsIraq War
Designated as a terrorist group by Iraq[16][17]
 United States
Flag
Websitealnakshabandia.net

The Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order (Arabic: جيش رجال الطريقة النقشبندية Jaysh Rijāl al-Ṭarīqah al-Naqshbandiyya; JRTN), also known as the Naqshbandi Army, is one of a number of underground Ba'athist militant insurgency groups fighting U.S.-led Coalition forces in Iraq. Media frequently refers to the group by the initials JRTN, a romanization of its Arabic name.[18] Supreme Command for Jihad and Liberation, technically the name of the umbrella organization to which JRTN belongs, is also often used to refer to JRTN specifically.[19]

It was named after the Naqshbandi Sufi order. The JRTN's ideology has been described as "a mix of Islamic and pan-Arab nationalistic ideas",[20] and "under the influence of Ba'athist and Islamist political ideals" with Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri being described as "the hidden sheikh of the Men of the Naqshbandis".[21]

  1. ^ "The JRTN Movement and Iraq's Next Insurgency". Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Archived from the original on 2011-08-26. Retrieved 2012-08-04.
  2. ^ "Comprehensive Reference Guide to Sunni Militant Groups in Iraq". Archived from the original on 2016-10-11. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "The Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order, the Shadow of the Ba'ath Party, and an ambiguous figure in Iraq". The Kurdistan Tribune. 2024-01-29. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
  5. ^ Aviv, Efrat (2018-02-27). "The İsmailağa community and its relationship with the AK party". Democracy and Security. 14 (3): 276–299. doi:10.1080/17419166.2018.1428897. ISSN 1741-9166.
  6. ^ Agency, Central Intelligence (2022-06-21). CIA World Factbook 2022-2023. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-5107-7119-2.
  7. ^ Colin Freeman (18 May 2013). "Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri: the King of Clubs is back, and he may yet prove to be Saddam Hussein's trump card". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  8. ^ "1062 - خطأ: 1062". Archived from the original on 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  9. ^ "Saudis reportedly funding insurgents". The Seattle Times. September 8, 2006. Private Saudi citizens are giving millions of dollars to Sunni insurgents in Iraq and much of the money is used to buy weapons
  10. ^ "Former Saddam aide seeks to reshape Iraq's Sunni insurgency". Reuters. 10 April 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  11. ^ "Saddam's 'king of clubs' reappears on Baath anniversary". Rudaw. 8 April 2018.
  12. ^ "Kata'ib Hezbollah | Mapping Militant Organizations". Archived from the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
  13. ^ "Iraq crisis: Isis allies 'turn on jihadists' as 17 killed in clashes near Kirkuk". The Telegraph. 21 Jun 2014. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  14. ^ Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (26 Dec 2014). "The Naqshbandi Army's Current Situation in Iraq". Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  15. ^ Emily Anagnostos (7 Feb 2017). "Warning Update: Iraq's Sunni Insurgency Begins as ISIS Loses Ground in Mosul". Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  16. ^ "Iraq issues 'most wanted' terror list". 4 February 2018. Archived from the original on 2020-07-25. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  17. ^ "اعتقال 3 ارهابيين من "النقشبندية" في الشرقاط". Archived from the original on 2020-07-08. Retrieved 2021-08-07.
  18. ^ "Insurgent group looks to future without U.S." Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  19. ^ al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad (23 January 2014). "Comprehensive Reference Guide to Sunni Militant Groups in Iraq". Jihadology. Archived from the original on 30 January 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  20. ^ Bayoumi, Alaa; Harding, Leah (June 27, 2014). "Mapping Iraq's fighting groups". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on September 20, 2014. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  21. ^ Knights, Michael (24 June 2014). "Saddam Hussein's Faithful Friend, the King of Clubs, Might Be the Key to Saving Iraq". New Republic. Archived from the original on 28 March 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2014.