Terror Groups in Iraq Explained

Since I make an effort to follow certain terror groups in Iraq, I thought I'd post some comments on this Washigngton Post article which tries to explain the various terror organizations fighting our troops and allies. It's pretty disgusting that WaPo chooses to term those who break the Geneva Convention on a daily basis 'insurgents'. While the article in general is informative, there are a number of points they miss. Some of them very big points. Much of what they miss can only be interpretted as a deliberate whitewash of the insurgents we fight. Hopefully the explanations below will be helpful to those interested in the war in Iraq. Washington Post:

Long considered a fragmentary and disorganized collection of groups with varying tactics and aims, Iraq's insurgency is showing signs of increasing coordination, consolidation and confidence, those who study it now say. There is no consensus on the precise number of insurgent fighters, but estimates range from a few thousand to more than 50,000. The vast majority of insurgents, probably more than 90 percent, are believed to be Iraqis from the Sunni minority group that largely ruled the country before the fall of Saddam Hussein. But U.S. commanders say that most of the deadliest attacks, and particularly suicide attacks, are committed by foreigners from a range of neighboring countries, including Jordan, Syrian, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Sudan.

Not surprising. The vast majority of Iraqis support the political process, even if most of them wish U.S. troops would leave.

The formation of theMujahidin Shura Council, announced on Jan. 21, was a sign of the once-diffuse insurgency's consolidation around the leadership of a few large, powerful groups. It brought together the foreign-backed network of al-Qaeda in Iraq, led by Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and several smaller, Iraqi-led groups. The council's head was said to be an Iraqi, a move made to counter the image of al-Qaeda as dominated by Arabs from elsewhere in the region. This appointment may be little more than a public relations move. The group's tactics include attacks carried out with bombs, small arms and mortar against Iraqi and American soldiers, as well as, increasingly, Iraqi civilians, most of them Shiites. Two of its "brigades," or affiliates, (the bin Malik and the Al-Ansar) are devoted solely to suicide attacks. Another, the Omar Brigade, is said to target only members of the Badr organization, a feared Shiite militia.

The Mujahidin Shura Council is not an organization or terrorist group. A Shura council is a religious body which is supposed to take care that Sharia law is carried out. In this case, WaPo has it right when it suggests that the group is simply a PR move. Since the Council doesn't actually control any territory, it's not clear what it is supposed to govern. In the past, terror organizations have actually issued joint statements. The only thing novel about this Shura Council, is that press releases are issued in its name rather than the individual organizations.

Ansar al-Sunnah , which means "partisans of the law,"

Eh, wrong. Their real name is Jaish Ansar al-Sunnah, which means army of the protectors of the way of the Prophet Muhammed (Sunna might be interpretted as law, but it has reference to using Muhammed's example as a way to live daily life), thus this group wishes to suggest by their name that they are following the example of Muhammed by their various terror operations. Which, if you've studied the life of Muhammed, you'd know that they were right.

is an offshoot of a group called Ansar al-Islam, which was formed in Kurdistan but has not been heard from in many months.

Ansar al-Islam was affiliated with al Qaeda. It is the group that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was with prior to the U.S. invasion.

The vast majority of its leaders and foot soldiers are Iraqi Sunnis

Sort of true, in the sense that Kurds are Sunnis, but it is clear that Jaish Ansar al-Sunnah is composed mostly of Kurds who are disaffected with the secularism of the two main Kurdish parties.

who adhere to a strict, fundamentalist form of Islam called Salafism, which calls for a return to the practices of early Muslims and has gained radical expression throughout the Arab world.

Nearly ALL of the terrorists we fight are Salafist. The heart of Salaafism is the idea that Muslims should unite in a globabl Caliphate. The main Salaafist group is the Muslim Brotherhood which is closely connected in the U.S. to the Muslim American Society. What differentiates groups like Jaish Ansar al-Sunnah from the MAS and Muslim Brotherhood is only tactical in nature--the former using terrorism as its weapon and the latter preferring the ballot box to impose Sharia and return to the imagined glory that was the Caliphate.

Their tactics -- including lethal suicide attacks -- and religious underpinnings are similar to those of al-Qaeda, but the two groups are considered bitter rivals for influence within the insurgent community. Among their best-known attacks was a roadside bomb blast that killed 14 Marines and an interpreter in August, the deadliest such attack of the war.

In my mind Jaish Ansar al-Sunna is best known for its praise of John Kerry. That, or the dozens of beheading videos produced by the group.

The stated goal of the Islamic Army in Iraq is to drive the U.S. military out of Iraq. Comprised almost entirely of Iraqi Sunnis, including many still loyal to Saddam Hussein's regime and Baath Party, it is considered more nationalistic than religious in motivation.

Whoaaa, WAY off the mark. Talk about incredibly stupid. Which part of Islamic Army in Iraq does the author not understand? The group is Salafist as well and is overtly religious. They have worked with al Qaeda in the past. This group murdered Enzo Baldoni and several other foreign hostages. We believe they were behind the recent murder of American peace activist Tom Fox and continue to hold three other Western hostages. This group claims to have taken Ramadi, but our expose of their video showed exactly how weak they are.

As many as three-quarters of its attacks, which include improvised bombs and kidnappings but not suicide attacks, are conducted against U.S. forces and non-Iraqi contractors. It often releases video footage of its operations. The group publishes a monthly magazine called al-Fursan and has denied rumors circulating last summer that it was in discussions with Iraqi officials about laying down its weapons. Its members reportedly include a sniper named "Juba," who gained a cult following when he was said to have killed several American soldiers in Baghdad last summer and fall.

For more on the mythical Juba sniper, see our expose here. Long story short, Juba was clearly more than one sniper and the IAI's Juba website was hosted for some time on American web-servers.

There is some discussion as to whether the Islamic Front of the Iraqi Resistance, one of the most highly publicized insurgent organizations, is actually an armed group or something of a public relations organ for other groups.

My best guess is the latter.

It maintains a frequently updated Web site and publishes a magazine called Jami, an acronym composed of its Arabic initials, which also mean "mosque" or "gathering." It has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks in and around the northern city of Mosul, Iraq's third-largest city.

I'm not sure why they consider this a 'major' group, they're not.

Smaller groups

Mujahidin Army : A group that has released dozens of videos of bomb, rocket and sniper attacks, most of them directed against U.S. forces. Along with the Islamic Army in Iraq, it denied reports of rapprochement talks with the Iraqi government last year. It is one of a few smaller insurgent groups that called for attacks against Danish troops in the wake of the publication by a Danish newspaper of cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad last fall.

The group also routinely put out press releases in English. For instance, the Mujahidin Army's letter to the American people here. It's not clear why they are considered small by the author since they work closely with The Islamic Army in Iraq & have released dozens of videos. It is probable that this group is more nationalistic in its goals than other groups. Perhaps their affilicaton with IAI is why some might think IAI is also composed of ex-Baathists. What many don't understand is how a secular organization such as the Baath party could also be closely connected to Islam. Like the Nazis before them, many Baathists saw Arab nationalism as 'true' Islam. Thus, the Iraqi national flag under Sadaam Hussein had a Koranic quote on it.

Muhammad Army : A group made up mostly of Iraqi former Baathists and a few foreign fighters, it claimed credit for the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters that killed 23 people, including the organization's chief of mission.

Never heard of them.

1920 Revolution Brigades : This group, which has claimed responsibility for a number of high-profile kidnappings of Westerners and Iraqis working with U.S. forces, is named for the Iraqi uprising against the British after World War I. The group calls itself the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement, another insurgent organization.

My understanding of the group is that they are mainly ex-Baathist. The group has condemned al Qaeda's tactics of killing civilians in the past. However, the group also claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of American Dean Sadek last year. Sadek is still missing. The group often falsifies information on its videos. For instance, they were recently caught recycling old IED footage. They also falsely claimed to have downed a British C-130.

Conquering Army : A new group that has emerged in the past two months through a series of videos released on the Internet and to regional television networks showing kidnapping victims confessing to various "crimes" such as working with American forces.

What the article doesn't say is that the specific crime is of 'apostasy'. Apostasy is a capital offense under Islamic law. Thus, any one caught 'collaborating' with the Americans are considered 'apostates' and then murdered--which they call an 'execution'. You can see some images of a recent victim of the Jaish al-Fatheen [Conquering Army] here. The MSM refuses to show such images, yet continually remind us of Abu Ghraib--abuse which was punished and abuse which is far less extreme than the routine murder practiced daily by our enemies.

Swords of the Righteous: A previously unknown group that gained prominence by claiming responsibility, in videos, for the kidnapping of four Christian Peacemaker workers, one of whom, Tom Fox of Virginia, was found dead March 10.

As I've already stated, the Swords of Righteousness Brigade is probably a front or an offshoot of the Islamic Army in Iraq.

Iraqi Vengeance Brigades: A little-known group that has released videos showing American journalist Jill Carroll, who was abducted in Baghdad in early January.

Probably just after money. However, given the Islamic tradition of justifying kidnapping and ransom, it is hard to seperate out religious from monetary motivations.

Posted by: Rusty at 02:00 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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