Ansar Al-Furqan

This article is about the Sunni militant group in Iran. For the Syrian militant group, see Jama'at Ansar al-Furqan in Bilad al Sham.

Ansar Al-Furqan (Arabic: انصار الفرقان, lit. 'Partisans of the Criterion'^[3]) is a Sunni Baloch militant organization active in Sistan and Baluchestan insurgency and a designated terrorist organization by Iran. The group was established in December 2013 by a merger of Harakat al-Ansar (Arabic: حرکةالانصار) and Hizbul-Furqan (Arabic: حزب‌الفرقان).^[4]

Ansar Al-Furqan
Ansar Al-Furqan uses the Black Standard
Leaders	Hesham Azizi † (2013–2015)[citation needed] Jalil Qanbarzehi † (2015–2017)[1]
Dates of operation	2013–Present
Active regions	Sistan and Baluchestan province Khuzestan province
Ideology	Salafist jihadism
Allies	Al-Qaeda[2]
Opponents	Iran
Preceded by Harakat Ansar Iran and Hizbul-Furqan

Attacks

According to Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium, they have ties to Katibat al Asad Al 'Islamia, Jeish Muhammad, Al-Nusra Front and Jaish ul-Adl.^[5]

On June 13, 2016, militants attempted to carry out an attack in Khash, Sistan and Baluchestan, left five terrorist and an officer death in the ensuing clash.^[6][7] During the 2017–18 Iranian protests, Ansar Al-Furqan claimed responsibility for bombing an oil pipeline in Ahvaz, a city located in Iran's Khuzestan province.^[8][9]

They also took responsibility for 2018 Chabahar suicide bombing which killed two people and injured around 48 others. Days later, Iranian authorities arrested ten suspects in carrying out the attack.^[10]

On January 25, 2024, they claimed that it fired small arms targeting a police station in Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchistan Province.^[11]