Jordanian/Iraqi Salafi jihadist militant group (1999–2004) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (Arabic: جماعة التوحيد والجهاد, lit. 'Congregation of Monotheism and Jihad'), abbreviated as JTJ or Jama'at, was a Salafi jihadist militant group.[15] It was founded in Jordan in 1999, and was led by Jordanian national Abu Musab al-Zarqawi for the entirety of its existence. During the Iraqi insurgency (2003–11), the group became a decentralized network with foreign fighters[16] with a considerable Iraqi membership.[9][1]
| Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (Congregation of Monotheism and Jihad) | |
|---|---|
| جماعة التوحيد والجهاد | |
A flag that was in use by Jama'at al-Tawhid wal Jihad in late 2004 | |
| Founder | Abu Musab al-Zarqawi † |
| Leaders | Abu Musab al-Zarqawi † Abu Anas al-Shami † Omar Husayn Hadid al-Muhammadi † |
| Dates of operation | 1999[1]–17 October 2004[2] |
| Headquarters | Fallujah |
| Active regions | Iraq, limited in Jordan |
| Ideology | |
| Allies | Ansar al-Islam (associate)[9][10] Islamic Army of Iraq (sometimes) Ansar al-Sunnah (sometimes) Jaish al-Rashideen (sometimes) Islamic Front for the Iraqi Resistance (sometimes) Jeish Muhammad (sometimes) |
| Opponents | Multi-National Force – Iraq Coalition Provisional Authority United States Jordan Iran Turkey Japan[11] United Nations |
| Battles and wars | Iraqi insurgency |
| Designated as a terrorist group by | |
On 17 October 2004, al-Zarqawi pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, and the group became known as Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn (commonly known as al-Qaeda in Iraq or Tanzim).[2][17] After several mergers with other groups and the formation of the Mujahideen Shura Council, it changed its name several times until it called itself Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) in 2006.
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was a Jordanian Jihadist who traveled to Afghanistan to fight within the Soviet–Afghan War, but arrived after the departure of the Soviet troops, and soon returned to his homeland. He eventually returned to Afghanistan, where he ran an Islamic militant training camp near Herat.[18]
A report released by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in mid-2014 describes al-Zarqawi, in association with other Jordanians and Sunni Jihadist militants, as starting JTJ in 1999 with its training camp in Herat, and with "a small amount of seed money" from bin Laden "which continued until 9/11".[1]
Al-Zarqawi's interpretation of Islamic takfir—accusing other Muslims of heresy and thereby justifying his killing—was extreme, which caused friction between him and bin Laden.[1]
Al-Zarqawi's political motives included what he considered the British Mandate for Palestine as a "gift to the Jews so they can rape the land and humiliate our people",[19] the United Nation's support for American "oppressors of Iraq",[19] and the "humiliation [of] our [Muslim] nation".[20]
Al-Zarqawi started JTJ with the intention of overthrowing the 'apostate' Kingdom of Jordan,[1] which he considered to be un-Islamic. After toppling Jordan's monarchy, presumably he would turn to the rest of the Levant.[1]
For these purposes he developed numerous contacts and affiliates in several countries. His network may have been involved in the late 1999 plot to bomb the Millennium celebrations in the United States and Jordan.[21]
Following the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan, al-Zarqawi moved to Iraq, where he reportedly received medical treatment in Baghdad for an injured leg.
Al-Zarqawi was in Baghdad from May until late November 2002, when he traveled to Iran and northeastern Iraq.[22] The United States 2006 Senate Report on Pre-war Intelligence on Iraq concluded: "Postwar information indicates that Saddam Hussein attempted, unsuccessfully, to locate and capture al-Zarqawi and that the regime did not have a relationship with, harbor, or turn a blind eye toward al-Zarqawi."[22]
Al-Zarqawi and his operatives are held responsible by the United States for the assassination of US diplomat Laurence Foley in Jordan in October 2002.[23]
Following the US invasion of Iraq and the ensuing insurgency, Jama'at became a decentralized militant network fighting against the coalition forces and their Iraqi allies. Jama'at included a growing number of foreign fighters[16][10] and a considerable Iraqi membership, including remnants of Ansar al-Islam.[9][10]
Many foreign fighters arriving in Iraq were not initially associated with Jama'at, but once they were in the country they became dependent on al-Zarqawi's local contacts.[10]
Jama'at's tactics included suicide bombings, often using car bombs, kidnappings, the planting of improvised explosive devices, attacks using rocket-propelled grenades, small arms and mortars, and beheading Iraqi and foreign hostages and distributing video recordings of these acts on the Internet.
The group targeted Iraqi security forces and those assisting the occupation, Iraqi interim officials, Iraqi Shia and Kurdish political and religious figures and institutions, Shia civilians, foreign civilian contractors, United Nations and humanitarian workers, and also Sunni Muslim civilians.[1][10]
On 17 October 2004, al-Zarqawi pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, and the group became known as Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn (commonly known as al-Qaeda in Iraq).[2][24][25][17] Al-Zarqawi died in a US targeted airstrike in June 2006 on an isolated safe house north of Baghdad at 6:15 p.m. local time.
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After the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and the establishment of a governing Provisional Authority, an insurgency quickly emerged. Dozens of insurgent attacks were claimed by, or attributed to, JTJ in the following months:
Alleged sectarian attacks by the organization included the Imam Ali Mosque bombing in 2003 and the 2004 Day of Ashura bombings (Ashoura massacre) and Karbala and Najaf bombings in 2004. These were precursors to a more widespread campaign of sectarian violence after the organization transitioned to become al-Qaida in Iraq,[4][34] with Al-Zarqawi purportedly declaring an all-out war on Shias,[6][35] while claiming responsibility for the Shia mosque bombings.[36]
The Turkish translator Aytullah Gezmen was also abducted by Jama'at, but released after "repenting."[40]
In September 2004, the U.S. conducted many airstrikes targeting Al-Zarqawi, calling the hunt for Al-Zarqawi its "highest priority".[41]
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The group pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network in a letter in October 2004 and changed its name to Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn.[2][24][25]
That same month, the group, now popularly referred to as al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), kidnapped and killed Japanese citizen Shosei Koda. In November, al-Zarqawi's network was the main target of the US Operation Phantom Fury in Fallujah, but its leadership managed to escape the American siege and subsequent storming of the city.
The Lebanese-Palestinian militant group Fatah al-Islam, which was defeated by Lebanese government forces during the 2007 Lebanon conflict, was linked to AQI and led by al-Zarqawi's former companion Mustafa Ramadan Darwish who had fought alongside him in Iraq.[42]
The group may have been linked to the little-known group called "Tawhid and Jihad in Syria",[43] and may have influenced the Palestinian resistance group in Gaza called Tawhid and Jihad Brigades.[44]
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