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| Name |
Led By |
Description |
Cnt |
| Groups Known Active In Violence in Iraq |
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| Mehdi Army militia |
Moqtada al-Sadr. the son of a well respected and revered Shia cleric killed by the Baathist regime.
|
Shia Extremists led by this Shiite Cleric, the
extremists are incredibly violent and now targeting anyone cooperating
with the new government and the Coalition. The methods for
propoganda are remarkably similar (suspiciously so) to Hamas and
Hezzbollah in and around Israel, putting pressure on the population by
bombings, shootings and guerilla attacks that disrupt work and kills
innocents directly or when retaliation from the government creates
collateral damage. The power base of the group is in Najaf. (source Fox
News, MSNBC Online, Associated Press). |
1000s |
| Ansar al-Islam |
Ansar al-Islam is a radical Islamist group of Iraqi Kurds and Arabs who have
vowed to establish an independent Islamic state in Iraq. It was formed in
December 2001 and is closely allied with al-Qaida. Some of its members trained
in al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan, and the group provided safehaven to al-Qaida
fighters before Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Since OIF, it has been one of the
leading groups engaged in anti- Coalition attacks. (Ansar al-Islam was
designated on 20 February 2003, under E.O. 13224. The UNSCR 1267 Committee
designated Ansar al-Islam pursuant to UNSCRs 1267, 1390, and 1455 on 27 February
2003.) First designated in March 2004. (source 2003 Patterns of Global Terrorism,
U.S. Department of State). Another group has emerged attempting
to combine all the Iraqi insurgents, Ansar Al Sunnah. It is not
clear whether this is just an expansion of Ansar Al Islam. |
70-1000 |
|
| Al-Qaeda |
Osama Bin Laden |
Abu-Muhammad
Ablay, a member of the organization took credit for a car bombing
against Italian units in Iraq on 12 November 2003, in al-Nasiriyah,
Iraq. The attack killed 19 Italians and 13 Iraqis. 80
others wounded (source 2003 Patterns of Global Terrorism, U.S. Department of State) |
1000s |
| Badr Brigade |
? |
Linked to and well funded by Iran, is thought to be the "wet wing" of the enormous group the Shiite SCIRI (Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq) | 10,000 |
| Mujahedin-e-Khalq | ? |
The MEK philosophy mixes Marxism and Islam. Formed in the 1960s, the organization was expelled from Iran after the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and its primary support now comes from the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein. Its history is studded with anti-Western attacks as well as terrorist attacks on the interests of the clerical regime in Iran and abroad. The MEK now advocates a secular Iranian regime. Most of the fighters are organized in the MEK’s National Liberation Army (NLA). (source 2003 Patterns of Global Terrorism, U.S. Department of State) | 1000-2000 |
| Groups Who Supposedly Have Put Down Their Arms But Whose Members May Be Active |
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| Kurdish Worker's Party (PKK) |
Founded in 1974 as a Marxist-Leninist insurgent group primarily composed of Turkish Kurds. The group’s goal has been to establish an independent Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey, where the population is predominantly Kurdish. In the early 1990s, the PKK moved beyond rural-based insurgent activities to include urban terrorism. Turkish authorities captured Chairman Abdullah Ocalan in Kenya in early 1999; the Turkish State Security Court subsequently sentenced him to death. In August 1999, Ocalan announced a "peace initiative," ordering members to refrain from violence and requesting dialogue with Ankara on Kurdish issues. At a PKK Congress in January 2000, members supported Ocalan’s initiative and claimed the group now would use only political means to achieve its new goal, improved rights for Kurds in Turkey. (source 2003 Patterns of Global Terrorism, U.S. Department of State) | ||
| Groups of which Members May Attack but Rarely Claim Responsibility |
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| Abu Nidal Organization |
Abu Nidal (deceased) |
Since the death of Nidal in Iraq, it is not
clear if his followers have disbanded or simply joined other radical
Islamic groups in Iraq |
100s |
| Al-Istikhbarat al-Askariyya (Military Intelligence) | Brigadier General Abdel Qadar Salman Khamis (Captured?) |
The main function of Military Intelligence is to ensure the loyalty of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It is also involved in the gathering of military intelligence and the detection of enemy infiltration of the armed forces. Istikhbarat has the power to eliminate any domestic opponents. (Source Iraqi News Online) | 4,000-6,000 |
| Ashbal Saddam | ? |
Ashbal Saddam is a paramilitary unit comprised wholly of children (aged 10-15). The organization was formed when the Baath regime's hold on power faltered subsequently after the Persian Gulf War. In the event of war, their responsibilities would have been the setting up roadblocks, conducting ambushes, sniper assualts, sabotage and psychological warfare operations. The Ashbal Saddam principly serves as a feeder program to the Fedayeen Saddam (Saddam's Men of Sacrifice). The Fedayeen Saddam is a paramilitary internal security service organization that is employed in order to keep control of the Iraqi populace. | 8,000 |
| Fedayeen Saddam "Saddam's Men of Sacrifice" |
? (Was led by Qusay Hussein who is now deceased and Lt. Gen. Mezahem Saab al Hassan al Tikriti) |
The Fedayeen Saddam was comprised of young and
politically reliable paramilitary soldiers that were leveraged
against perceived domestic agitators and opponents of the Al-Baath
regime. The unit reported to the Presidential Palace, rather than
through the army command, and was also responsible for conducting
patrols and anti-smuggling duties. (Source Iraqi News Online) |
30-40,000 |
| Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement) |
While Hamas is typically an attacker of Israelis
and those Muslims working with Israelis, numerous reports of Hamas
members flocking to Iraq to fight the infidels have been confirmed,
especially those identified with Izz al-Din al-Qassam Forces. (MILNET) HAMAS was formed in late 1987 as an outgrowth of the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood and has become Fatah's principal political rival in the occupied territories. Various elements of HA-KAS have used both political and violent means, including terrorism, to pursue the goal of establishing an Islamic Palestinian state in place of Israel. HAMAS is loosely structured, with some elements working openly through mosques and social service institutions to recruit members, raise money, organize activities, and distribute propaganda. Militant elements of HAMAS, operating clandestinely, have advocated and used violence to advance their goals. HAMAS's strength is concentrated in the Gaza Strip and a few areas of the West Bank. It has also engaged in peaceful political activity, such as running candidates in West Bank chamber of commerce elections. (source 2003 Patterns of Global Terrorism, U.S. Department of State) |
10s of thousands supporters, hardcore membership count in not known. |
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| Hizbollah |
Thought to have flocked to Iraq to fight the
coalition, some reports indicate they are providing bomb making and
organization where needed. MILNET Radical Shia group formed in Lebanon; dedicated to creation of Iranian-style Islamic republic in Lebanon and removal of all non-Islamic influences from area. Strongly anti-West and anti-Israel. Closely allied with, and often directed by, Iran, but may have conducted rogue operations that were not approved by Tehran. (source 2003 Patterns of Global Terrorism, U.S. Department of State) |
1-2,000 |
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| Jihaz al-Mukhabarat al-Amma (Iraqi Intelligence Service) | Brigadier General Majid Hasan al-Majid (Captured?) |
Mukhabarat was
responsible for watching the other
police networks and controlling the activities of state institutions
and the armed forces. Mukhabarat activities included: intelligence
gathering and processing, weapons testing and development,
assassinations and sabotage, propaganda and psychological warfare,
interrogation of suspects, detecting and countering foreign agents, and
training of agents for clandestine operations abroad. Mukhabarat was
believed to be responsible for the assassinations of opponents abroad
(including Ayatollah Mehdi Al Hakim in Sudan in January 1988 and Dr
Ayad Habashi in Rome in October 1986), links with terrorist
organizations, money laundering and arms purchases. Mukhabarat, on
Saddam Hussein's orders, also murdered several secret service
chiefs, including Nazim Kzar, Fadhil Barak and Intelligence Chief Rafa
Daham Mujawwal Al-Tikriti. Its Unit 999 also is thought to have been a
main contact to Al Qaeda and Palestines on how to use chemical and
biological weapons (Source Iraqi News Online) |
4,000 |
| Saddam's Former Republican Guard |
? (Was led by Qusay Hussein who is now deceased and Lt. Gen. Mezahem Saab al Hassan al Tikriti) |
The Republican Guard began its life in the early 1980s as a force that was tasked with the protection of Saddam Hussein's regime. The organization served as the core around which an elite offensive force was built and it was used dramatically during the war with Iran. The Republican Guard forces were much better trained and equipped than the Regular Army. All of the RGFC troops were volunteers rather than conscripts. They were also much better paid and supported. The elite corps was comprised of infantry, mechanized and motorized infantry, and armored divisions. The RGFC was subordinate to the State Special Security Apparatus, and not to the Defense Ministry. When Gulf War II began, the seemed to melt away into the population and most likely many joined with radical insurgents near their home towns. (Source Iraqi News Online) | 50,000-60,000 |
| Saddam's Former Special Republican Guard |
? (Was led by Qusay Hussein who is now deceased) | The Special Republican Guard were responsible for personal protection of Saddam Hussein. The elite unit was also used as an emergency response force in case of a rebellion or a coup. Most remained in Baghdad until the popular uprising in the city ended Saddam's rule and their whereabouts are not known. Like the Rep. Guard, they probably melted into the population and headed home, perhaps to join insurgents there. (Source Iraqi News Online) | 12,000 |
| Former Members of Organizations in Iraq prior to the war. |
? |
A large number of government organizations in
Iraq were devoted to watching for subversion amongst the Iraqi people,
and remarkably for each one there was also a group watching them.
|
100s |