Ansar al-Islam

Ansar al-Islam is a Islamist militant group with the goal of forming a Kurdish Islamic state under sharia law and protect the people of this Kurdish state.^[16][17][18] It was created in northern Iraq around Kurdistan by Islamists who were former members of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Ansar al-Islam
ئهَنْسَارُولِئَىسْلَامْ
Top: Seal of Ansar al-Islam Bottom: The Flag of Ansar al-Islam[1]
Leaders	Mullah Krekar (2001–03) Abu Abdullah al-Shafi'i (POW) (2003–10) Abu Hashim al-Ibrahim (2010–14)[1]
Dates of operation	In Iraq: September 2001 – August 2014[2] In Syria: 2011 – present[3][4][5][6]
Motives	Establishment of an Islamic state in Kurdistan, and the protection of Kurds
Headquarters	Hamrin Mountains[6]
Active regions	Iraqi Kurdistan,[7] Syria
Ideology	Kurdish-Islamic nationalism[8] Sunni Islamism[7] Qutbism Sunni Jihadism
Size	Peak: 700+[9]
Part of	Rouse the Believers Operations Room[10]
Allies	al-Qaeda[8] Kurdistan Brigades Taliban[11] Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria  Iran (2001-2003; alleged)[12] Ajnad al-Kavkaz Kurdistan Islamic Group (former) Islamic Front (2013–2015) Guardians of Religion Organization Ansar al-Din Front Ahfad al-Rasul Brigades Ahrar al-Sham
Opponents	Peshmerga  Iraq  Turkey Islamic State[13][14] Popular Mobilization Forces[15]  Syria Syrian Democratic Forces  United States  Iran (after 2014) Hezbollah  Russia
Battles and wars	Iraq War Islamist insurgency in Iraqi Kurdistan Syrian civil war Battle of Aleppo Aleppo summer campaign Idlib demilitarization[10] Northwestern Syria offensive
Designated as a terrorist group by	See Section[broken anchor]
Preceded by Jund al-Islam and Kurdistan Islamic Movement splinter

The group was designated a terrorist organization by the UN as a another name for Al-Qaeda.^[19]

Terrorist organization status

Country	Date	References
Australia	March 2003	[20]
Canada	17 May 2004	[21]
Israel	2005	[22]
United Kingdom	14 October 2005	[23]
United States	22 March 2004	[24]
United Arab Emirates	16 November 2014	[25]
Iraq		[26]
Japan		[27]
Bahrain		[28]

Notes

References

2. "The Islamic State (IS) and Pledges of Allegiance: The Case of Jamaat Ansar al-Islam". Archived from the original on 2022-08-28. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
3. "IS disciplines some emirs to avoid losing base". 2 September 2014. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
4. "Iraqi Jihadist Group Swears Alleigance to Islamic State". 29 August 2014. Archived from the original on 1 September 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
5. Thomas Joscelyn (7 August 2016). "Jihadists and other rebels claim to have broken through siege of Aleppo". The Long War Journal. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
6. Suadad al-Salhy (14 December 2017). "Kurdish militant group re-emerges in northern Iraq under new name". Arab News. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
7. "Ansar al-Islam in Iraqi Kurdistan". Human Rights Watch. Archived from the original on 2019-05-09. Retrieved 2016-10-21. Ansar al-Islam fi Kurdistan (Supporters of Islam in Kurdistan) is one of a number of Sunni Islamist groups based in the Kurdish-controlled northern provinces of Iraq.
8. Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (11 May 2014). "Key Updates on Iraq's Sunni Insurgent Groups". Brown Moses Blog. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
9. Schanzer, Jonathan (Winter 2004). "Ansar al-Islam: Back in Iraq" (PDF). Middle East Quarterly: 41–50. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 May 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016 – via The Washington Institute.
10. "Military groups calling themselves "the finest factions of the Levant" form joint operations room". Syria Call. 15 October 2018. Archived from the original on 17 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
11. "Ansar al-Islam (Iraq, Islamists/Kurdish Separatists), Ansar al-Sunnah". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 2022-05-05. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
12. "The Hidden Hand of Iran in the Resurgence of Ansar al-Islam". Jamestown. Archived from the original on 2020-10-08. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
13. "The Islamic State's curious cover story | FDD's Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org. January 5, 2015. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
14. says, Jeff Logan (June 20, 2014). "Ansar al Islam claims attacks against Iraqi military, police | FDD's Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org. Archived from the original on May 5, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
15. "Ansar al Islam claims first attack in Iraq since 2014 | FDD's Long War Journal". 31 October 2019. Archived from the original on 2020-07-28. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
16. "Ansar al-Islam (Iraq, Islamists/Kurdish Separatists), Ansar al-Sunnah". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 2022-05-05. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
17. "Does Kurdish jihadist group threaten Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in north Syria? - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East". www.al-monitor.com. 20 June 2021. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
18. "Does Kurdish jihadist group threaten Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in north Syria? - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East". www.al-monitor.com. 20 June 2021. Archived from the original on 2022-05-05. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
19. Schanzer, Jonathan. Al-Qaeda's armies: Middle East affiliate groups & the next generation of terror. Specialist Press International. New York, 2005.
20. "Listing of terrorist organisations". Archived from the original on November 11, 2013. Retrieved 2014-01-22.
21. "Currently listed entities". Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2014-01-22.
22. "LIST OF DECLARATIONS AND ORDERS – Unofficial Translation". Archived from the original (.doc) on August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
23. "Terrorism Act 2000". Schedule 2, Act No. 11 of 2000. Archived 2013-01-21 at the Wayback Machine
24. "Foreign Terrorist Organizations". 2012-09-28. Archived from the original on 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2014-01-22.
25. "UAE Cabinet approves list of designated terrorist organisations, groups". 16 November 2014. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
26. "وكالة بغداد اليوم الاخبارية". Archived from the original on 2021-08-18. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
27. "国際テロ組織 世界のテロ組織等の概要・動向 | 国際テロリズム要覧（Web版） | 公安調査庁". Archived from the original on 2018-09-15. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
28. "Bahrain Terrorist List (Individuals – entities)". Archived from the original on 2020-10-17. Retrieved 2020-06-23.