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Jaish Ansar Al-sunnaJaish Ansar al-Sunna or Army of the Protectors of the Sunna (faith), is an Islamist militant group in Iraq fighting US-led occupation and US-backed interim government of Iyad Allawi. The group is based in northern and central Iraq, and includes both Iraqi Kurdish and Sunni Arab religious radicals as well as many foreign fighters. The group maintains close ties with the remnants of Ansar al-Islam, a Kurdish Islamist organization formerly based in the mountains near Halabja in northeastern Iraq before the U.S-led invasion. U.S. officials believe that the group was founded in September of 2003 as an umbrella organization for Islamist guerrillas, with former members of Ansar al-Islam at its core. It seeks to expel U.S.-led occupation forces from Iraq and to subsequently establish an Islamic state. The group's leader has been identified Abu Abdullah al-Hassan bin Mahmoud, who is believed to be the brother of a major Ansar al-Islam fighter, although his background is unclear. Ansar al-Sunna is thought to have links with other Islamicist organizations operating in Iraq, including the Abu Musab al-Zarqawi backed Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad. In October 2004 Ansar al-Sunna released a video beheading of a Turkish truck driver on its website. The kidnappers on the video identified themselves as members of Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad (Source: MERIA). The United States and Iraqi Interim governments have reportedly linked Ansar al-Sunna to Al Qaeda. Following the twin Sunni and Shiite uprisings of the spring and summer of 2004, and the subsequent decrease in U.S patrols and the creation of "no-go" areas in the Sunni Triangle, Ansar al-Sunna was believed to be part of a loose coalition of insurgent groups (also including guerrillas from Mohammad's Army and Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad) controlling the Sunni cities of Fallujah, Ramadi, Samarra, and Baquba (U.S offensives later largely rested control from Baquba, Fallujah, and Samarra, although underground guerrilla forces still have a strong presence in those cities). Suicide Bombings Jaish Ansar al-Sunna has taken credit for several suicide bombings in Iraq, including the devastating attacks on the offices of two Kurdish political parties in Irbil on February 1 2004, that killed at least 109 people. The strikes marked one of the bloodiest attacks launched by insurgents since the start of the war. It has produced tapes and CDs that mark the "last testaments" of six bombers from previous attacks, three of whom appear non-Iraqi. Its name also appeared with eleven other insurgent groups on leaflets passed out in the Sunni Triangle cities of Ramadi and Fallujah from January 31 2004 to February 1 2004. The leaflets detail the insurgency's plan for seizing Iraqi cities following the departure of coalition forces. It also has a strong presence in Mosul and northern Iraq. It claimed responsibility for a major suicide bombing at the dining hall of a US base near Mosul on December 21, 2004 that killed 14 US soldiers, 4 US citizen Halliburton employees and 4 Iraqi soldiers. The attacker was reportedly a suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest under the uniform of an Iraqi security officer. The suicide bomber's name was Abu Omar al-Museli. Kidnapping and Televised Beheadings Ansar al-Sunna was one of three groups responsible for the kidnapping of foreigners in Iraq in 2004 and the subsequent broadcasting of their beheading murders via the Internet. The group also kidnapped and murdered a number of Iraqi citizens who were considered by the group to be collaborators with the occupying forces. Its most infamous act was the August 2004 kidnapping and execution of twelve Nepalese security contractors. A video released on the Internet showed the first victim being beheaded and the remaining eleven shot. This incident sparked anti-Muslim riots in Nepal. Ansar Al-Sunna also claimed responsibility for a similar videotape in which a member of the US-backed Iraqi Special Forces was beheaded and several others shot. In both of these videos, a voice identified as the "Emir of the Group" is heard warning Iraqis not to deal with US forces. The voice threatens to kill and send to Hell all who disobey. To date, the speaker has not been identified. References See also
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