Kurdish Mujahideen

The Kurdish mujahideen were a loose faction of Kurdish Islamist volunteers that fought during the 1980s until 2000s against the state of Iraq and the rule of Saddam Hussein.

Kurdish mujahideen
FounderUthman Abd al-Aziz (called for Jihad against Ba'athism)
LeadersSpiritual leaders:
Dates of operation1980–2008
MotivesTo make an independent Kurdish state under Islamic law
HeadquartersNone; although strong presence around Halabja[1]
Active regionsIraqi Kurdistan
Ideology
Sizeover 10,000
Allies Other Kurdish Islamist groups
 Iran (1980-1988)
KDP (only against Iraq)
PUK (only against Iraq)
Opponents Iraq
 United States
 Ba'athist Iraq
Ba'ath loyalists
Sunni Arab insurgents
Shia Arab insurgents
Battles and wars

Formation

The Kurdish mujahideen emerged during the Iran-Iraq War, when Sheikh Uthman Abd al-Aziz, leader of the IMK, called for an independent Kurdish nation, as well as declaring a holy war against Iraq and against Ba'athism, leading to the formation of the mujahideen. Many Kurdish Islamists set up training camps in the mountains of Kurdistan and began rebelling against Iraq. The mujahideen consisted of Kurdish Islamist volunteers who didn't belong to any organized group. The mujahideen remained even after the overthrow and execution of Saddam Hussein to fight Ba'ath loyalists.[2][3]

Leadership

Although the Kurdish mujahideen weren't an organized group, they had many spiritual leaders, including Mullah Krekar, Ali Bapir, Adham Barzani, Mohammad Khalid Barzani, and Khider Kosari.[2][4][5]

Activities

The mujahideen started in 1980 during the Iran-Iraq War, but at the end of the war in 1988, they mostly halted their operations, but still maintained a low-level insurgency against Iraq. In the 1991 Iraqi uprisings during the Gulf War, the mujahideen heavily increased their activities, and towards the end of the war, they slowed down again. The mujahideen also participated in the Iraqi insurgency after the Invasion of Iraq. They had over 10,000 fighters at their peak.[5] The mujahideen fought and did many attacks, although there was little documentation of specific attacks. The Kurdish Mujahideen used the standard Jihadist flag and mostly fought while wearing traditional Kurdish clothes.[6]

See also

Other mujahideen groups:

References
  1. Hawramy, Fazel. "Komal should 'shed' Islamic label: party leader". Rudaw. Archived from the original on 2021-12-06. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  2. "Three Generations of Jihadism in Iraqi Kurdistan". www.ifri.org.
  3. Martin, Gus. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Terrorism, Second Edition. SAGE. p. 48. ISBN 9781412980166.
  4. Mahmud Yasin Kurdi (29 September 2016). "Time has come to break from Iraq, says radical Kurdish cleric Mulla Krekar". rudaw.net. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  5. "Los Angeles Review of Books". Los Angeles Review of Books. May 8, 2019.
  6. "Islamic Movement of Kurdistan | Mapping Militant Organizations". stanford.edu.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.