Ansar al-Islam

Ansar al-Islam
ئەنسارولئیسلام
File:Seal of Kurdish Ansar al-Islam.svg 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 In Syria: 2011 – present
Motives	Establishment of an Islamic state in Kurdistan, and the protection of Kurds
Headquarters	Hamrin Mountains
Active regions	Iraqi Kurdistan, Syria
Ideology	Kurdish-Islamic nationalism Sunni Islamism Qutbism Sunni Jihadism
Size	Peak: 700+
Part of	Rouse the Believers Operations Room
Allies	al-Qaeda AQKB Taliban Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria  Iran (2001-2003; alleged) 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[2][a]
Opponents	Peshmerga  Iraq  Turkey Islamic State Popular Mobilization Forces  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 Northwestern Syria offensive
Designated as a terrorist group by	See Section
Preceded by Jund 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.^[3][4][5] It was created in northern Iraq around Kurdistan by Islamists who were former members of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

The group was designated a terrorist organization by the UN as a another name for Al-Qaeda.^[6]

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "Ansar al Islam names new leader". Long War Journal. 2012-01-05. Archived from the original on 2018-10-09. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
2. ↑ "Ansar al-Sham | Mapping Militant Organizations". web.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
3. ↑ "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.
4. ↑ "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.
5. ↑ "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.
6. ↑ Schanzer, Jonathan. Al-Qaeda's armies: Middle East affiliate groups & the next generation of terror. Specialist Press International. New York, 2005.