CIA Copy of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Report: A Survey of Armed Groups in Iraq

C 05951951,, of armed groups in Iraq
RFE/RL, 21 June 04
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A SURVEY OF ARMED GROUPS IN IRAQ
Compiled by Kathleen Ridolfo
Ansar Al-Islam (Supporters of Islam). This is an extremist Kurdish group purportedly linked to
Al-Qaeda. It is an offshoot of Jund al-Islam (Soldiers of Islam, a.k.a. Islamic Brigade) and has been
engaged in fighting with the PUK since September 2001. Led by Mullah Krekar (a.k.a. Najm al-Din Faraj
Ahmad), the military commander of Ansar al-Islam who is under house arrest in Norway. Krekar is the
former military commander for the Islamic Movement of Kurdistan; he trained in Afghanistan. Krekar has
denied any links to Osama bin Laden (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," 29 August 2003) but bin Laden sent his
greeting to the group in an audiotaped message in October 2003 (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," 20 October
2003).
The group has been linked to the 19 August bombing of UN headquarters in Baghdad. Reports began
surfacing in September 2003 that the group had split (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," 4 and 15 September
2003). There were widespread reports that the leadership changed in late 2003 and is now headed by Abu
Abdallah al-Shafi'i (a.k.a. Warba Holiri al-Kurdi) who reportedly said in September that the group would
change its name -- but declined to announce the name, London's "Al-Hayat" reported on 5 September 2003
(see Ansar Al-Sunnah below).
Reportedly linked to the Kurdistan Islamic Group (KIG), led by Mullah Ali Bapir. Al-Shafi'i criticized the
KIG in September 2003 for aiding U.S. forces in their attempt to crack down on Ansar militiamen.
Al-Shafi'i added that other mujahedin groups inside Iraq had agreed to join up with Ansar Al-Islam.
The group claimed responsibility for the.1 February. 2004 simultaneous-attacks-on Patriotic-Union-of---
Kurdistan (PUK) and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) offices in Irbil, and the 17 March 2004 bombing
of the Mount Lebanon Hotel in Baghdad. The group also claims to have participated in the April 2004
clashes against coalition forces in Al-Fallujah. The 'U.S. State Department designated the group a foreign
terrorist organization in March (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," 26 March 2004).
Ansar AI-Sunnah Army. Group formed in autumn 2003 by members of Ansar Al-Islam and other radical
elements. Described itself in a statement, to London-based "Al-Quds al-Arabi" published on 4 November
2003 as: "A group of mujahedin, people with knowledge, political shrewdness, and military expertise as
well as those who have long experience and history in administering the Islamic ideological conflict
against the infidels, brought several groups and various jihadist factions together." In a 21 February
statement published in London's "Al-Quds al-Arabi," the group claims members from the ranks of clerics,
tribal sheikhs, and the former Iraqi military. It claims to have fighters throughout Iraq "implementing a
practical nonimported program, based on a clear view of the arena and the instructions of the true shari' a
[Islamic law]." Claimed responsibility for the February 2004 simultaneous bombings of PUK and KDP
headquarters in Irbil, the 14 October 2003 bombing of the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad, the 20 November
2003 bombing of the PUK office in Kirkuk, as well as numerous mortar attacks on coalition forces.
Reportedly headed by Abu Abdallah al-Hasan bin Mahmud. Posts monthly lists of its attacks on coalition
forces at http://www.ansar-sonnah.8m.com
Ansar Al-Sunnah purportedly posted a statement to the Global Islamic Media Center website on 22 March
2004 denying any link to the National Front for the Liberation of Iraq. The latter claimed that a number of
groups had joined its umbrella organization for armed groups. Ansar Al-Sunnah said in its statement that it
also doubted other Islamist groups in Iraq, namely Ansar Al-Islam and Muhammad's Army support the
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National Front for the Liberation of Iraq, because it has made statements that appear contradictory tc
Islamic law.
Other groups that fall under the Ansar Al-Sunnah umbrella include the Al-Shahid Aziz Taha Squad,
Al-Tawhid Batallion, Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas Group, Asad Al-Islam Brigade, the Hanifah Al-Nu'man
Brigades, the Abdallah bin al-Zubayr Squad, the Mu'ad ibn Jabal Unit, and the Yasin al-Bahr regiment,
Faylaq Badr (Badr Corps). The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI)'s armed
wing. Hadi al-Amiri is the Faylaq Badr's secretary-general. The corps was reportedly founded in 1983, just
one year after Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim established SCIRI. The corps was organized into
units that included an infantry, armored, artillery, antiaircraft, and commando units, according to the SCIRI
website (http://www.sciri.btinternet.co.uk). SCIRI, supported and funded by Iran, used fowler Iraqi
military officers and commanders to train its fighters and claimed to have some 10,000 militiamen inside
Iraq on the eve of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) ordered all
militias, except for the Kurdish peshmerga, to disband in spring 2003, but the militia remains armed by all
accounts. SCIRI head and Iraqi Governing Council member Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim, who took over the
leadership following al-Hakim's assassination in August 2003, said that the Faylaq Badr would disarm and
change its focus (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," 21 September 2003). However, al-Hakim insisted that Badr
could play a contributing role to the security of Iraq in November (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," 20
November 2003). Media reports have since indicated that the Faylaq Badr is actively working with the
Iraqi Interior Ministry to "track down terrorist elements" attempting to enter the country (see "RFE/RL Iraq
Report," 27 March 2004). Meanwhile, U.S. military and civilian leaders in Iraq continue to call for the
group to disband and join the regular Iraqi army (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," 13 March 20004).
Shahid AI-Sadr Force. The armed wing of the Al-Da'wah party, this group is highly secretive and its
membership is unknown. It is not thought to be currently militarily active. The force was established in
1979. Many militiamen were based in the southern Iraqi marshes, as well as in Iraqi Kurdistan and --
neighboring Iran, after Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein declared in March 1980 that membership in
Al-Da'wah was punishable by death. Hussein led a massive crackdown on Al-Da'wah activists in the late
1970s and early 1980s. Al-Da'wah claims to have lost 77,000 members in fighting against the Hussein
regime. Some 40,000 Shi'ites were deported by the Ba'athist regime beginning in the 1970s after being
labeled "Iranians."
Islamic Movement of Kurdistan. Established in the mid-1980s and now led by Mullah Ali Abd al-Aziz
Halabji, this group set up a governing body in the Halabja region of northern Iraq in. 1998,. but reportedly
does not impose strict Islamic law. Abd al-Rahman Abd al-Rahim, a member of the group's consultative
council, told London-based "Al-Sharq al-Awsat" in an interview published on 5 August 2003 that the
movement's leader was unjustly arrested by U.S. forces in Halabjah. He claimed that Mullah Abd al-Aziz
is a member of the former Iraqi opposition who has since called for ''means other than weapons" to further
the movement's agenda. Asked about reports of links to Ansar Al-Islam, Abd al-Rahim said, "The Ansar
Al-Islam group members were not happy with our new [nonviolent] policy. They are vehemently opposed
to the stand of [Abd al-Aziz] on cooperation with the provincial [Kurdistan] government and the
movement's participation in municipal elections." Asked whether the movement will disarm its fighters, he
said, "Every party in the world should reconsider its stands and policies every now and then, and this
applies to us.... We believe that our priorities at this current stage are .limited to preaching and guidance.
And I assure you that we have no training or other camps. All our activities are now confined to party
organizational affairs," Has received aid from Iran, the United States (after 1998), and possibly Saudi
Arabia.
Kurdistan Islamic Group. Established by Ali Bapir in May 2001. Bapir is a former member of the
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Islamic Movement of Kurdistan. The group reportedly receives funding from the Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan. It has been linked to Ansar Al-Islam but released a statement on 11 October 2003 in "Komal"
denying that any such links existed. Bapir was interviewed in "Komal" in January 2003. He said: "Our
policy is that we enter into fraternity and cooperation with all Islamic groups. We seek such fraternal
relations with Islamic parties and organizations, Islamist figures, and groups that follow a Salafi tradition
or a Sufi or a scientific tradition. In the Islamic Group, we believe that the group must be open-minded and
seek fraternity with all those who call or act for Islam. If we see a mistake, we will try to correct it through
dialogue and by creating a fraternal atmosphere."
Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas. A group affiliated with Ansar Al-Sunnah. It tends to attack coalition vehicles in
Baghdad.
Al-Mujahidin Brigades. Al-Taff is a reference to the battle in which Imam al-Husayn was killed. The
group reportedly sent a videotape to Al-Jazeera television, broadcast on 10 May 2004, claiming that all
those working for Arab and foreign companies in Al-Basrah, and specifically for Kuwaiti companies,
would be targeted for kidnappings and killings.
Hizballah (Party of God). Shi'ite group not related to Lebanese Hizbollah. Appears to have only a few
hundred followers.
Imam Al-Mandi Army. Armed group of radical Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Jama'ah al-Sadr al-Thani
(Al-Sadr Group II). The size of his "army" is estimated to range between 6,000 and 10,000 men, and the
cleric claims that both Sunnis and Shi'a have joined his movement from all over Iraq. Most are young,
disenfranchised Shi'ites who have no previous experience and are simply attracted by the cleric's charisma
and firebrand style of preaching. Al-Sadr is the son of the late Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr, who was gunned
down, presumably by Saddam Hussein's men, along with Muqtada's two brothers, in 1999. It was recently
reported in the Arab press that criminal elements and pro-regime fighters have joined al-Sades -militia:The
"army" is named after the 12th Shi'ite imam, Mandi. Shi'ites await his return on judgment day.
Usbat Al-Huda The daughter of Guidance). This group also issued a statement in the above-mentioned
Usbat Al-Huda videotape. The group of women fighters pledges loyalty to Muqtada al-Sadr and threatens
suicide attacks against the U.S. forces in Iraq.
Resistance Front. This group is opposed to the U.S.-led occupation and all laws, agreements, decisions,
treaties, flags, and slogans resulting from it, according to a 9 May 2004 statement read on the Voice of
Mujahedin Radio, The group also reportedly objects to the role of UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, but does
not object to a role by the United Nations in preparing for general nationwide elections in Iraq. Claims the
U.S. killed hundreds of Iraqis detained in the country.
Iraqi Organization of Liberation. London's "Al-Sharq al-Awsat" reported on 4 May 2004 that this is a
phony group. The report says the group had offered $2 million to whoever kills or arrests an Iraqi
Governing Council member or a member of the interim government. The group also reportedly offered $5
million to anyone who kills high-profile Iraqi leaders Mas'ud Barzani, Ahmad Chalabi, Abd al-Aziz
al-Hakim, Jalal Talabani, or Muhammad Bahr al-Ulum. The group also reportedly promised to send the
perpetrator of the above-mentioned acts abroad with his family.
Kata'ib Al-Mujahidah (Jihadist Earthquake Brigades). No information available.
Kata'ib Salah Al-Din (Salah Al-Din Brigades). This group has claimed responsibility for attacks on at
least seven Iraqi policemen in late January and early February 2004. Operates in the Al-Ramadi area.
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Kata'ib Al-Mujahidin (Mujahidin Brigades). Operating in Kirkuk, this group held its first conference in
late February. Threatened Iraqi police, Iraqi Civil Defense Forces, the Iraqi Army, and Kurdish parties of
the dire consequences of hunting down the mujahedin and impeding their actions. Group has also
threatened to target security checkpoints and to kill collaborators.
Jama'at Al-Tawhid wa Al-Jihad (Unification and Jihad Group). Reportedly led by fugitive Jordanian
terrorist Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi. Often posts statements by al-Zarqawi on jihadist websites.
Jaysh Al-Mandi (Imam Al-Mandi Army). Armed wing of anti-U.S. Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's
"Al-Sadr II Group." Estimated to have at least 6,000 members.
Jund Al-Sham. (God's Wrath). An anticoalition Shi'ite group based in Al-Basrah, Fought British troops
in late March 2004.
Tha'r Allah (Vengeance Detachments). An armed group operating in Baghdad and Tikrit. Claimed in a 1
November 2003 statement that it was hunting down and killing supporters of the Saddam Hussein regime,
specifically those who worked in the security and intelligence services "who are still free and who are
doing as they like in all areas of Iraq." Membership reportedly comes from "all the factions" of Iraqi people
and the "sons of the mass graves." Criticized the coalition and Iraqi Governing Council for not bringing
former regime members to justice. "Everybody was busy with the spoils and forgot that there are thousands
of criminals and killers who were behind the assassination of Ayatollah al-Hakim...and Aqilah al-Hashimi,
member of the Governing Council."
Mafariz Al-Intiqam (Martyrs Brigades of the Hamas Movement). Reportedly not active in Iraq, though
at least one leaflet attributed to the group circulated in the Iraqi capital in April and May 2004. The leaflet
sent greetings to the Iraqis-from-"your faithful- mujahedin brothers" - in Palestine; London's "Al:--Sharqal-
Awsat" reported on 1 May. The leaflet said in part: "Be informed that our martyrdom-seeking brigades
will return the favors [unspecified] to the sons of this dear country and that, God willing, victory is our
ally." .
Sarkhi Hassani. A Shi'ite cleric who claims to have an armed group. The number of members is
unknown.
Mujahedin Allahu Akbar (God is Great Fighters). This group distributed leaflets in Al-Fallujah in early
March 2004 claiming that suspected Al-Qaeda terrorist Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi was killed in the northern
Iraqi mountains near Al-Sulaymaniyah during a U.S. raid in the area last year, AP reported on 4 March.
While the leaflet did not provide the specific date for the alleged U.S. raid or for al-Zarqawi's purported
death, it is presumably referring to the March bombings of an Ansar Al-Islam stronghold in northern Iraq
just days into Operation Iraqi Freedom (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," 25 March 2003). The leaflets further
claimed that a letter held by coalition officials in Iraq and purportedly written by al-Zarqawi (see "RFE/RL
Iraq Report," 12 February 2004) is a fake.
Ba'ath Arab Socialist Party. This group supports former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The Political and
Publishing Information Organ of the party Issued a statement published in Amman's "Al-Majd" on 3 May
2004 warning the coalition against adopting regional and tribal security formulas based on assimilating and
employing military commanders from the "disbanded" Iraqi Army to lead segments of the "new army." The '
statement warns that any former Iraqi officer that works with the coalition places himself on the list of
legitimate targets for the Iraqi resistance. Also claims to have issued a death sentence on Iraqi Governing
Council members to be carried out even if they resign after 30 June 2004 for being "traitors of the nation
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and the people."
Fedayeen Saddam (Saddam's Martyrs). A paramilitary group founded by Saddam Hussein's son Uday in .
1995. Uday briefly lost control of the organization to his younger brother, Qusay, after he transferred vast
amounts of weapons to the Fedayeen without the knowledge of their father. The punishment did not last
long, however, and control was soon passed back to Uday. The Fedayeen operated completely outside the
law under Hussein's regime. A prewar estimate by globalsecurity.org set its membership at 18,000-40,000
troops, including a notorious death squad known to have publicly beheaded female family members of
those opposed to the regime. The Fedayeen vowed to avenge the deaths of Uday and Qusay at the hands of
coalition forces and are suspected of joining up with a number of Iraqi militant groups to launch attacks on
Iraqi and coalition forces in recent months. French journalist Alexandre Jordanov said that he was taken
hostage by Fedayeen Saddam militiamen (see "RFETRL Newsline," 15 April 2004).
Al-Qiyadah Al-Amah li Jaysh Al-Iraq (General Command of the Iraqi Army). This group is led by
Major General "Qaysar Jasim Hamid Ajjaj al-Qaysi," who hails from. Al-Miqdadiyah and is a 1963
graduate of the Military College. He is also reportedly a leader in the National Salvation Movement,
London-based "Al-Zaman" reported on 16 February 2004 that the group has declared itself the nucleus of
an Iraqi army. The group claims to have reorganized the Iraqi army that served under Saddam Hussein and
works to defend the Iraqi peoples' rights and the country's unity. It supports human rights, democracy, and
free elections, and calls for strong relations with the Arab states.
Islamic Jihad Brigades of Muhammad's Army. An apparent umbrella organization for the following
groups: The Abdallah bin Iyad Brigade; the Al-Husayn Brigade; the Al-Abbas Brigade, the Bani-Hashim
Moon; the Abdallah bin Jahsh bin Rikab Al-Asadi Brigade; the Al-Walid bin AI-Mughirah Brigade; the
Umar Al-Faruq Brigade; the Al-Mandi Al-Muntazar Brigade; and the Ja'far Al-Tayyar Brigade.
This group claimed responsibility for the 19 August bombing of UN headquarters in Baghdad and for
shelling coalition positions, including the Republican Palace compound where the CPA is headquartered.
Wants the coalition to withdraw from Iraq and leave the fate of the country to Iraqis. Has accused the
coalition of trying to drive a wedge between Sunnis and Shi'a.
It also issued a videotaped message in late August to Beirut's LBC satellite television warning all Islamic
and neighboring countries against interfering in Iraq's internal affairs. "The Islamic Jihad Brigades of
Muhammad's Army has decided to send you a warning through the destruction of your embassies in Iraq
[if] you send any military or civilian forces to loot the resources of our great country," the speaker in the
videotape said. The group also vowed to avenge for the 29 August 2003 assassination of Shi'ite Ayatollah
Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim. The speaker in the videotape also outlined"instructions" of the group's higher
command, led by a person identified only as Abu Islam (father of Islam). The instructions assigned
responsibilities to two Islamic militant groups: The Al-Husayn Brigade was assigned the task of protecting
the Al-Hawzah Shi'ite seminary in Al-Najaf as well as the holy shrines in that city and in Karbala. The
Al-Walid bin Mughirah Brigade was assigned "the honor" of destroying embassies of coalition forces in
Iraq. The statement refers to the U.S. as the "Disunited States of America" and the "enemy of God and
humanity."
It also claimed in a February 2004 leaflet that it will set up governing councils and hold elections once the
coalition withdraws from Iraq. Also threatened to kill any looters in Al-Fallujah and said Iraqis cooperating
with the coalition should leave Iraq or face arrest by the group.
Eighteen resistance groups signed a joint statement published in London's "Quds Press" on 2 May 2004
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calling on U.S. forces to withdraw from Al-Fallujah within 48 hours or face attack by force. The statement
claimed to have killed 3,000 occupation forces in April and to have destroyed 30 planes, dozens of tanks,
and other military vehicles. The statement also claimed that the coalition is attempting to hide its losses
from the media, contending that some 25,000 coalition troops have been killed since the beginning of
Operation Iraqi Freedom. The statement also criticized the Iraqi Governing Council and threatened to
punish its members, singling out Ahmad Chalabi and Muwaffaq al-Rubay'i. The signatories to the
statement were: The Patriotic Army for the Liberation of Iraq; The God is Great Forces; The forces of
Muhammad, Messenger of God (Sunni Arab fighters); the Asad Allah Forces; the Iraqi Islamic Resistance
Battalions; The Salafi Mujahedin Group Battalions; the Battalions of the Clans of the Iraqi People; the
Iraqi Islamic Army; the Ajnad Al-Islam Group Battalions; the Victorious Sect Army; the Ansar Al-Sunnah
Army; Al-Qari'ah Organization Battalions; the Free Men of Iraq Army; the Abd Al-Qadir Al-Kilani Army;
the Victor Salah Al-Din Battalions; the Black Banners Army; the Ababil Army; and the Martyr Ahmad
Yasin Brigades.
On 28 February 2004, London's "Al-Hayat" reported that the Salah Al-Din Brigades and the Jihadist
Earthquake Brigades had issued leaflets in Al-Ramadi and pasted the leaflets to the city's mosque claiming
responsibility for killing two Iraqi informers and threatening to kill anyone who provided U.S. forces with
information on resistance groups way out of the current situation," "Komrnersant-Daily" reported on 29 .
May.
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