Iraq

Last Updated (Monday, 29 November 1999 19:00) Written by Evan Kohlmann Monday, 01 October 2007 19:00

The Iraqi insurgent organization known as "Hamas al-Iraq" has issued a new statement accusing Al-Qaida's network in Iraq of fanaticism and murdering Iraqi Muslim civilians.

Al-Qaida Continues Attacks on Fellow Sunni Militants

Last Updated (Monday, 29 November 1999 19:00) Written by Evan Kohlmann Sunday, 30 September 2007 19:00

Over the past two weeks, Al-Qaida's "Islamic State of Iraq" has continued to escalate its campaign of public accusations blasting fellow Sunni insurgents for "deviating" from the path of legitimate jihad and working directly with U.S. military forces in Iraq. The latest target of Al-Qaida's wrath has been the 1920 Revolution Brigades, a prominent Muslim Brotherhood-linked militant group which has issued a frantic flurry of recent statements denying any role in aiding American "occupiers." Yet, according to a statement released by Al-Qaida's Islamic State on September 22, the actual state of affairs is quite a different story: “The 1920 Revolution Brigades were part of the original resistance against the crusaders... Subsequently, the 1920 Revolution Brigades split into two wings: one was ‘Hamas in Iraq’ under the leadership of Mohammed Ayyash al-Kubaisi... who formed the Association of Muslim Scholars which aimed to mislead the general public and to legitimatize the actions and principles [of Hamas in Iraq]. The second wing kept its original name and is still known as the 1920 Revolution Brigades... Militias that were part of Hamas in Iraq in the Diyala region worked side-by-side with crusader forces and helped them spy on the mujahideen... In contrast, the 1920 Revolution Brigades decided to adopt a more conniving role by publicly denying their assistance to American forces but simultaneously acting in the same manner as their sister brigades from Hamas in Iraq. The 1920 Revolution Brigades established their own militias that fought alongside American forces in the areas of Abu Ghraib, Radwaniyya, and southern Baghdad."

Internal and External Threats to the Jihad Media War

Last Updated (Monday, 29 November 1999 19:00) Written by Evan Kohlmann Friday, 21 September 2007 19:00

Several Sunni insurgent factions fighting in Iraq have recently released official communiqués addressing brewing conflicts over the jihad media war--including divisions that exist within the mujahideen community itself. On August 29, the Mujahideen Army issued a statement accusing their "dear brothers" from the Al-Furqan Foundation--the official media wing of Al-Qaida's "Islamic State of Iraq"--of distributing a video of a military operation that had already been claimed months earlier by the Mujahideen Army. In due course, the ISI's Al-Furqan Foundation issued a response acknowledging, "the operation had indeed been executed by one of the central brigades of the Mujahideen Army... However, following the establishment of the ISI, this particular brigade pledged its allegiance to Abu Omar Al-Baghdadi and, therefore, their media archives became the rightful property of the Al-Furqan Media Foundation." The ISI has also sparked controversy with the recent release of an audio recording by its leader Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, including accusations that several major Sunni insurgent organizations are now working in conjunction with U.S. forces. One of the groups singled out by al-Baghdadi--the Iraqi Islamic Resistance Front (JAAMI)--has issued its own letter firmly denying these allegations and demanding that "the gossiping cease from all those who posted harsh words on the Al-Hesbah web forum." Separately, Asaeb al-Iraq al-Jihadiya ("the Iraqi Jihad Union") has announced the expulsion of several prominent activists within its organization for unauthorized contacts with unspecified "outsiders." Finally, the ISI's Al-Furqan Foundation has released a statement condemning a series of recent electronic attacks by "crusaders" on notorious jihad web forums--including the Al-Hesbah network.

- 7/29/07: Asaeb al-Iraq al-Jihadiya Declares Expulsions of Dissidents for Unauthorized Contacts
- 8/29/07: Mujahideen Army Statement to ISI's Al-Furqan Foundation
- 9/3/07: Al-Furqan Foundation Response to Statement from the Mujahideen Army
- 9/13/07: Al-Furqan Foundation Statement Regarding Recent Attacks on Jihad Websites
- 9/16/07: Iraqi Islamic Resistance Front (JAAMI) Response to Speech by Abu Omar al-Baghdadi

Statement from "Hamas al-Iraq"

Last Updated (Monday, 29 November 1999 19:00) Written by Evan Kohlmann Thursday, 20 September 2007 19:00

A statement warning that arrogant quarreling provoked by Al-Qaida supporters over such chat forums is threatening the integrity of the "Obelisk" network. In fact, according to "Iraqi Hamas"--they "are so desperate to prove their positions and criticize others that they have sunk to the lowest level by searching for private messages of certain individuals sent to [forum] administrators."

Message from Abu Omar al-Baghdadi

Last Updated (Monday, 29 November 1999 19:00) Written by Evan Kohlmann Thursday, 13 September 2007 19:00

In recent weeks, Al-Qaida-led terrorist franchises in Afghanistan and Iraq have released several new recordings of speeches by senior Al Qaeda leaders. This audio recording, released on September 14 from Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the commander of Al Qaeda's "Islamic State of Iraq," is particularly significant -- especially to those who follow the very serious internal schisms opening up between Al-Qaida and the Muslim Brotherhood in Iraq. In his address, al-Baghdadi directly attacks other Sunni insurgent groups -- such as the 1920 Revolution Brigades, Hamas in Iraq, and the Iraqi Islamic Resistance Front (JAAMI) -- as "backstabbing" traitors who have abandoned their commitment to jihad. Al-Baghdadi also reserves a strong dose of vitriol for the "degenerate crusader nation of Sweden", where cartoons were recently published that were viewed as disrespectful to the Prophet Mohammed. In response, al-Baghdadi promises to launch punitive terrorist attacks by mid-October on Swedish "industrial giants" such as Volvo, Scandia, Ikea, and Ericsson -- in addition to killing both the cartoon artist himself and his Swedish editor.