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Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad

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This article is about the group called "Al-Qaeda in Iraq". For the alleged earlier involvement of al-Qaeda in Iraq, see Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda.
Tenzheem Qa'adat al-Jihad Fi Bilad al-Rafidayn
Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad
Ansar al-Islam
LeadersAbu Musab al-Zarqawi†

Abu Hamza al-Muhajir

Abu Ayyub al-Masri†?
Dates of operation2003-present
HeadquartersUnknown
OpponentsU.S. Military
Battles and warsSecond Battle of Fallujah,
File:Shosei Koda.jpg
Tenzheem Qa'adah al-Jihad members with Shosei Koda. The banner contains the words from right to left on the bottom: "Qa'adah" (Priniciple/Foundation), "Tenzheem" (Organization/Organizing), and "al-Jihad" (The Holy Struggle).

Organization for the Foundation of the Holy Struggle in Mesopotamia (تنظيم قاعدة الجهاد في بلاد الرافدين, Template:ArTranslit), more commonly known as "al-Qaeda in Iraq" by certain western media specifically the Associated Press and certain U.S. government officials and military. It is an Iraqi Insurgency group that is believed to be a successor to a network allegedly formerly led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian-born Palestinian mujahid believed to have operated against United States-led coalition forces in Iraq. Zarqawi was killed by an American airstrike on June 7, 2006. In a Reuters article it was alleged that a posting on an unnamed Islamist website that Abu Hamza al-Muhajir was announced to be the groups new leader on June 12, 2006.[1][2]

The word "Qa'adah" present in the group's name appears to associate the group with the international Al-Qaeda network, and also uses a name for Iraq (The Land of the Two Rivers, cf. Mesopotamia) associated with the early Islamic period.[citation needed]

Around September 2004, it is believed that this group succeeded Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad [verification needed] (Template:Lang-ar, Unification (Monotheism) and the Holy Struggle Group) This group's name, which is usually abbreviated as JTJ, purposely contrasts the strict monotheism of Islam with the "God in three persons" of the Christian Trinity, which it sees as polytheism.

Origins

File:Zarqawi1.jpg
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi video screenshot.

JTJ was started by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who himself was never Al Qaeda, other foreigners who are alleged to be Al-qaeda members, and local, mostly kurdish sympathizers. [citation needed] Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was a Jordanian who had travelled to Afghanistan to fight in the Soviet-Afghan War, but had arrived after the departure of the Soviet troops. Instead he busied himself with reporting on the fighting of others. After a trip home, he eventually wound up back in Afghanistan, running an Islamic militant training camp near Herat in Afghanistan. Zarqawi started the network originally with a focus on overthrowing the Jordanian government, which he considered to be un-Islamic and made up of "hypocrites". Zarqawi comes from a school of militant Sunni Islamist and Wahhabi thought, which advocates a return to the laws and practices of the Muslim community immediately following the death of the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century. After spending five years in a Jordanian prison for attempting to overthrow the government, Zarqawi later left the country, travelling to Afghanistan where he became the leader of his own terror training camp near Herat. Eventually, Zarqawi developed a large number of contacts and affiliates in several countries. His network may have been involved in the late 1999 plot to bomb the Millennium celebrations in the US and Jordan. Following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, it is believed that Zarqawi moved westward into Iraq, where he may have received medical treatment in Baghdad for an injured leg. It is believed that he developed extensive ties in Iraq with Ansar al-Islam, a Kurdish Islamist militant group that was based in the extreme northeast of the country. Both the BBC in July 2002 [2]and the Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies, in a published paper in April 2003, claimed Ansar had ties to Iraqi Intelligence. Given the authoritarian nature of Saddam Hussein's government, it is unlikely he would not have known and approved of this collaboration. Saddam's motivation would have been to use Ansar as a surrogate force to repress the Kurds (who wanted a "free Kurdistan" in Northern Iraq/Southern Turkey).[3] Following the U.S-led invasion of Iraq, JTJ was developed as a militant network composed of foreign fighters, remnants of Ansar al-Islam, and indigenous Kurdish Sunni group to resist the coalition occupation forces and their Iraqi allies. The group's spiritual advisor was Abu Anas al-Shami. They are well known for their savage, horrid attacks against Iraqi Shittes.

Goals

The stated goals of JTJ are to force a withdrawal of U.S-led forces from Iraq, topple the Iraqi interim government and assassinate collaborators with the "occupation," marginalize the Shiite Muslim population and defeat its militias, and to subsequently establish a pure Sunni Islamic state. Presumably, if and when those goals are achieved, the global jihad would continue to establish a pan-Islamic state and remove Western influence from the Muslim world.To remove the Western influence, JTJ sometimes target the Christian minority and its interest such as church. Iraqi Christian became their target since 2004.

Tactics

Jama'at al-Tawhid wal Jihad members with Jack Hensley and with the banner in the background.
File:Eugene armstrong.JPG
Same group, same banner this time with Eugene Armstrong in orange, seated, before his decapitation. He is one of over 150 American contractors who have died in Iraq since 2003 [1].
File:Hostage kim.jpg
Jama'at al-Tawhid wa'l Jihad members with Kim Sun-il giving Korea 24 hours to withdraw Korean troops out of Iraq .

JTJ differs from other Iraqi insurgent groups considerably in its tactics. Rather than just using conventional weapons and guerrilla tactics, it has relied heavily on using suicide bombings, mostly with vehicles, targeting a wide variety of groups but most especially Iraqi civilians, Iraqi security forces and those facilitating the occupation. U.S and coalition forces, the United Nations, foreign civilians, humanitarian organizations, Shiite and Kurdish political and religious figures, Iraqi police and security forces, and Iraqi interim officials have also been targeted. Zarqawi's militants have been known to use a wide variety of other tactics, however, including targeted assassinations, kidnappings and beheadings, the planting of improvised explosive devices, mortar attacks, and beginning in a late June 2004 offensive urban guerilla-style attacks using rocket-propelled grenades and small arms.

For months, it appeared as though two separate wars were being conducted in Iraq. One was a militant campaign, largely conducted by foreign jihadis, of high-profile suicide bombings, assassinations, and kidnappings. The other was a guerrilla war being conducted by nationalists, indigenous Sunni Islamics, and disenfranchised former Ba'ath Party members against American troops. Recently, as Zarqawi's network has taken root and grown in Iraq and as the insurgents have become more radicalized and religiously motivated, the distinction between the two has reduced. The June 24 offensive, which combined guerrilla, and conventional tactics and in which a number of groups operating under the Zarqawi umbrella participated, was the clearest indication of this shift. Militants in this group also have been known to operate with other insurgents in Samarra, where they openly patrolled, enforcing Sharia law and distributing audiotapes of the Qur'an before a U.S-led offensive on the city in the beginning of October.

They cite various texts from the Qur'an and the Sunnah (traditions) of the prophet Muhammad to they perceive to argue their case for their tactics. They cite the tradition of the prophet Muhammad where he said to the people of Makkah when conquering them, "By the one in whose hand the soul of Muhammad is in, I came to you with slaughter" narrated in the books of Hadith (traditions) including, Musnad Imam Ahmad, Saheeh Al Muslim and others. They also quote the tradition whereby the prophet Muhammad said, "Whoever slaughters a non-Muslim (at war with Islam, i.e. those perceived to be 'enemy occupiers') sincerely for the sake of Allah, Allah will make hellfire prohibited upon him." as well as many verses of the Qur'an calling Muslims to fight invading non-muslims and even behead them, such where Allah says in the Qur'an, "when you meet the non-muslim (enemies in battle) strike their necks."

Reported activities and alleged attacks

2003

  • August 7: Zarqawi was believed[who?] to be responsible for a truck bombing of the Jordanian embassy, which killed 19.[3]
  • October 27: Ansar al-Islam and Zarqawi are allegedly blamed for Car bombings that kill 35 and wound 200 in Baghdad, including at the headquarters of the Red Cross according to an MSNBC article.[6]
  • November 2: 16 American soldiers are killed and 26 are wounded when their Chinook helicopter was shot down by shoulder fired anti aircraft missile near Fallujah.[7]

2004

  • March 17: A car bomb detonated outside Baghdad's Mount Lebanon hotel, killing seven people. On April 6, a Web site linked to Kurdish group Ansar al-Islam carried audiotape from a speaker who identified himself as al-Zarqawi and claimed responsibility for the bombing. [citation needed]
  • April 24: According to a statement allegedly published by on the Muntada al-Ansar Islamist web site and allegedly signed by Zarqawi, Zarqawi took responsibility for boat suicide bombings that ram oil pumping stations in the Persian Gulf. Three U.S. servicemen are killed in the attack, which cost Iraq some $40 million[12] in lost revenues.[13]
  • June 14: A car-bomb attack on a vehicle convoy in Baghdad kills 13 people, including three General Electric employees. A Web site posting purportedly written by the "military wing of Monotheism and Jihad," also believed to be led by al-Zarqawi, claims responsibility.[citation needed]
  • June 18: Iraq's interim interior minister was quoted as stating that he believed that al-Zarqawi was responsible for the suicide car bombing of the Iraqi army recruitment center in Baghdad that killed 35 people, and wounded 145.[14]
  • June 22: Kidnappers behead South Korean hostage Kim Sun-il, who was last shown alive with his captors in a videotape on Arab satellite TV channel Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera says the execution was carried out by Monotheism and Jihad, a group believed to be led by al-Zarqawi. [citation needed]
  • June 24: Coordinated insurgent attacks on Iraqi police and government buildings in Mosul, Baquba, Ramadi, Fallujah, and Baghdad kill roughly 100 people, including three U.S soldiers, and wound several hundred more. JTJ is suspected of playing a major role, and many guerillas participating in the attacks wore headbands with the group's name. [citation needed]
  • July 29: 68 people were killed in Baquba when a suicide bomber drove a mini-bus into a marketplace near a police station where would-be recruits were lined up.[16] [failed verification]
  • October 30: A suicide car bomber rams his car against a U.S. convoy killing 8 marines and wounding 9 others west of Baghdad.[19]

2005

  • January 30: About 40 people are killed in attacks during the Iraqi legislative election.
  • February 4: A suicide bomber kills 25 in the Northern city of Tal Afar. The suicide bomber rammed his car inside a tent of mourners in a Kurdish funeral.
  • February 7: 15 people were killed and 16 wounded when a suicide car bomber slammed into a crowd of Iraqis lined up to join the Iraqi police. The attack took place in Baquba. A second suicide bombing in Mosul killed 16 police officers. [4]
  • February 28: A car bomb killed 125 people outside a clinic in Hillah in the deadliest single insurgent attack.
  • March 3: Two separate suicide bombings taregtting Iraqi security forces leaves 13 dead and 30 wounded. [5]
  • March 9: A suicide garbage truck bombing near al-Sadeer hotel in central Baghdad leaves one dead and 10 injured. [6]
  • March 11: A suicide bomber blows himself up at a Shia funeral in the city of Mosul killing 47 and wounded more than 100. [7]
  • March 25: A suicide car bomber kills 11 policemen in the city of Ramadi. The bomber struck a police checkpoint, among the injuries includes 2 US soldiers. [8]
  • April 19: A suicide car bombing kills 4 and wounds 38 near Baghdad's Adhamiya Palace which is an Iraqi army recruitment center. [9]
  • April 22: A suicide car bomber blew up near a Shia mosque in Baghdad killing 9. [10]
  • April 25: Two dual bomb attacks hit a Shiite area of Baghdad killing 24 and wounding 58. [11]
  • April 29: Four suicide bombings in quick succession killed 20 Iraqis, including 15 soldiers in central Baghdad. [12]
  • May 1: A suicide bomber attacks a Kurdish funeral of Kurdish Democratic party member killing 25 and wounding 50. The attack took place in Tal Afar. [13]
  • May 4: 60 people are killed in the kurdish city of Ebril when a Suicide bomber blows himself up among a large number of Iraqis lined up for police jobs. [14]
  • May 5: A suicide car bomber targets an Iraqi army recruiting center west of Baghdad killing 13 and wounding 21. [15]
  • May 6: A suicide bomber with bombs strapped to his body blew himself up amongst hundreds of Iraqis seeking recruitment with security forces, the bombing killed 33. [16]
  • May 11: A suicide bomber blew himself up outside an army police recruitment center killing 30 and injuring 35, the attack took place 150 miles of Baghdad in Hawija. 27 people were also killed in a suicide bombing near a police station in Tikrit. [17]
  • May 24: 2 car bombings targeting a shia gathering of a prominent shia leader kills 15 in Tel-Afar. And in another attack a suicide car bomber killed 5 members of a security team travelling with the convoy of a Patriotic Union of Kurdistan official. And north of Bagdhad a trio of suicide bombers target an American base injuring 3 American soldiers. [18]
  • May 28: 7 Iraqis are killed and 35 wounded when a two blasts occur near a US-Iraqi military base. [19]
  • June 19: A suicide bomber attacks a crowded Bagdhad restaurant as Iraqi police and security forces were eating lunch, the attack killed 23 and wounded 36. [20]
  • June 22: three car bombs exploded within 10 minutes of each other killing 18 and wounding 46. The bombings took place a shia area north of Baghdad. [21]
  • June 25: A suicide bomb attack on an American military convoy in Fallujah leaves 4 marines dead and 13 wounded. [22]
  • June 27: 3 suicide bombings targeting Iraqi military and police stations leave 15 policemen dead and 18 wounded in the city of Mosul. Among other attacks in the city, 16 laborers were also killed in a bomb blast at the parking lot of the Kasak army post. [23]
  • June 28: A Shiite tribal leader who is a member of Iraqs national assembly is killed when a suicide car bomber rams into his convoy killing 2 others who were with him. [24]
  • July 3: 3 suicide bombings across Baghdad kill 21 and wound 48, most of the dead were Iraqi police officers and commandos. [25]
  • July 7: Insurgents launch a series of attacks against military convoys, checkpoints and police patrols, using automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades. The attacks leave at least 33 dead and dozens wounded. Zarqawi claims responsibility.
  • July 10: A suicide bomber wearing explosives device detonates at an Iraqi army recruiting centere killing 22 and wounding 50 others. The attack took place in Baghdad. Elsewhere another suicide bomber blows up near the offices an Iraqi commander of the army killing 4 in the city of Kirkuk. [26]
  • July 13: A suicide bomber targets an American convoy in Baghdad killing 27. [27]
  • July 16: A suicide bombing in Musayyib kills at least 98.
  • July 20: A suicide bomber blows himself up outside an Iraqi army recruitment center killing 8 and wounding 28 others. The attack took place in the country's capital Baghdad. [28]
  • July 24: A suicide car bomber detonates outside a police station in Baghdad killing 25 and wounding 35. [29]
  • July 29: A suicide bomber blew himself up in an Iraqi army recruiting center in the town of Rubia killing 26 people.[30]
  • September 15: Three suicide bombings south of Baghdad targeting Iraqi police forces leaves 20 dead and 24 wounded. [31]
  • September 16: A suicide car bomber detonates outside a shia mosque in Tuz just outside the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, the attack leaves 10 dead and 21 wounded. [32]
  • September 17: A car bombing just outside Baghdad leaves 30 dead and 38 wounded. The attack took place in a mainly shia industrial area. [33]
  • September 21: 4 Americans in Mosul were killed when a suicide car bomber rammed his car into a convoy of three SUVs. One of those killed was an American diplomat. [34]
  • September 29: Bombings in Balad kill more than 100.
  • October 12: A suicide bomber killed 30 and wounded 40 at an Iraqi army and police recruitment center in Tal Afar. [35]
  • October 24: Coordinated car bombings outside the Sheraton Ishtar and the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad leave at least 17 Iraqis dead.
  • Novemvber 2: A suicide car bombing kills 20 in a shia area south of Baghdad. [36]
  • November 11: A suicide bombing in an Iraqi restaurant in central Baghdad killed at least 34 people, the attack was claimed by Al-Qaeda in Iraq, the restaurant was frequented with Iraqi police and security forces. [37]
  • November 18: Two truck bombs explodes outside the Hamra Hotel in Baghdad, killing six; in Khanaqin, near the Iranian border, bombers in two mosques kill at least 74.
  • November 24: A suicide bomber detonated himself in a hospital in Mahmoudiya killing 30. The blast took place as task force Baghdad soldiers were present at the hospital. [38]
  • December 3: A large bomb killed 10 U.S. marines and wounded 11 others in Falluja during a nighttime foot patrol. [39]
  • December 8: Thirty people were killed when a suicide bomber detonated himself onboard a bus in Baghdad. The bus was headed for Nasiriyah, a Shiite city. [40]

2006

  • January 4: A suicide bomber killed 36 people and wounded 40 others at a funeral in northeast Iraq. The funeral was for Mohammad al-Bakka, nephew of Ahmad al-Bakka, who himself survived and assassination attempt, and is a member of Iraqi prime minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari's Dawa Party. [41]
  • January 5: 80 people were killed in one single suicide bombing in Ramadi, the bomber detonated himself near a police recruitment center. 45 other people were killed in a separate bombing in Karbala, a Shiite holy city. [42]
  • January 10: Two suicide bombers disguised as senior police officers detonated themselves outside the main entrance of the Interior Ministry in Baghdad. The attack killed 23 Iraqi police officers and wounded 21 others. [43]
  • February 22: The Al Askari Mosque bombing, which touched off a wave of sectarian violence but denied by Mujahideen shura council as carried out by them
  • February 28: A nighttime blast near a Shiite mosque in Baghdad killed 25 people and wounded 43. [44]
  • March 27: A suicide bomber detonated his explosive belt in a line of Iraqi recruits for security forces, the bombing killed up to 40 people and wounded 30, the attack took place at Kisik base north of Iraq. [45]
  • April 6: 10 people were killed, and 39 were wounded when a car bomb exploded near the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf. [46]
  • April 7: A triple suicide bombing of a Baghdad mosque leaves around 85 dead.
  • April 28: 100 insurgents attack Iraqi police and army posts, killing 30 people, including 7 Iraqi soldiers.
  • May 4: 16 people were killed at an Iraqi police recruitment center in Falluja. A suicide bomber walked toward a group of recruits detonating his explosive device. [47]
  • June 3: A car bombing at a crowded market killed 33 people and wounded 55, the bombing took place in the mainly Shiite southern city of Basra. [48]
  • June 25: Four kidnapped Russian diplomats are killed. The Mujahideen Shura Council claim responsibility for the killings in a statement and video posted on a website. [49]
  • July 11: Militant Islamic websites posted a video showing the bodies of two kidnapped U.S. soldiers. [50]
  • July 23: 32 people were killed in Baghdad's Sadr City section when a suicide bomber in a minibus detonated a bomb in a market place. And a car bombing in outside a courthouse in Kirkuk killed 18. [51]
  • August 15: A suicide truck bombing outside the party headquarters for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan leaves 9 dead and 36 others wounded. The attack took place in the city of Mosul. [52]
  • September 8: U.S. Senate, Select Committee on Intelligence, publishes "Postware Findings about Iraq's WMD Programs and Lnks to Terrorism and how they Ccmpare with Preware Assessment." Indicating there were "few indications of an established relationship" between Iraq and Al Qaeda before Sep 11, 2001 and that as late as Jan 2003, the CIA stated Saddam Husayn and Usama bin Ladin are far from being natural partners."
  • October 19: Six suicide bombers including one in a fuel truck blow themselves up near police stations and US forces killing 20 people in the city of Mosul. [53]
  • October 30: A bomb attack targeting laborers lined up for work killed 33, and wounded 59. The bomb attack took place in Sadr city which is a stronghold of the Shiite Mahdi millitia. [54]
  • November 12: Two suicide bombers kill 35 Iraqis and wound 60 others, the suicide bombers struck a police recruiting center in western Baghdad. [55]
  • November 13: A suicide bomber blows himself up onboard a bus in northeast Baghdad killing 10 and wounding 17. [56]
  • November 19: A suicide bomber in a minivan lured laborers to his vehicle with promises of a job and then blew it up killing 22. The attack took place souther Shiite city of Hillah. [57]
  • November 23: 215 people were killed in a series of suicide bombings, car bombs, and mortar attacks. The attacks took place in the Shiite mahdi millitia stronghold of Sadr city in Baghdad. The attacks were the deadliest attacks since the beginning of the Iraq war. [58][59][60]
  • December 2: A triple car bomb attack in central Baghdad leaves 43 dead and over 90 wounded. The bomings targeted the capitals crowded commercial district which often crowded with many Shiites of the city. [61]
  • December 9: A suicide car bomber kills 5 and injures more than 40 in the Shia holy city of Karbala, the bomber struck near a Shia holy site. [62]
  • December 12: A suicide car bombing and a car bomb killed 63 and wounded 236. The dual bombings took place in central Baghdad targeting mainly Shiite laborers from Sadr city and other Shiite areas. [63]

2007

  • January 17: A suicide bomber and a car bomb killed 70 and wounded 170 at the entrances of Mustansiriya University, the university is located just inside the Shia millitia stronghold of Sadr city. [64]
  • January 22: 88 people were killed and 170 wounded in a suicide car bombing in a crowded market place in cental Baghdad, the attack took place in the Shiite district of al-Shaqi. [65]
  • January 24: 4 police officers were killed and 3 civilians were wounded when a suicide bomber target a police patrol west of Baghdad. [66]
  • January 27: A suicide bomber followed up with a car explosion killed at least 13 people and wounded 42 in a busy market place south of Baghdad. The area was a mainly Shiite area.[67]
  • February 1: Two suicide bombers blow themselves up in a crowded Shiite market in the city of Hillah killing 73 and wounding 150. [68]
  • February 3: A suicide bomber driving a truck attacked a food market in a Shiite district of Baghdad killing 135 and wounding 339. The attack was the single deadliest insurgent attack to have been carried out since the US led invasion in 2003. [69]
  • February 7: Al-Qaeda linked millitants shoot down a US helicopter with an anti-aircraft missile killing all 7 onboard northwest of Baghdad. [70]
  • February 12: 2 car bombs explode within a minute of each other killing 71, the bombings took place in the busy market district of Baghdad. [71]
  • February 18: 63 people are killed and 127 wounded when 2 car bombs explode in an outdoor market in Baghdad. The bombs struck the mainly Shia area of New Baghdad. [72]
  • February 19: A coordinated attack including a suicide car bomber on an American combat post in Baghdad leaves 2 US soldiers killed and 17 wounded. [73]
  • February 21: 13 People are killed in the holy Shiite city of Najaf when a suicide car bomber attacks a police checkpoint in the city. [74]
  • February 24 A suicide truck bomber explodes near a Sunni mosque in in Anbar killing 40. The mosque was apprently targeted due to criticism against insurgent groups including Al-qaeda in Iraq by the imam, the imam criticised insurgent groups for attacks on US forces. Additionally many in the attacked area work for Iraqi military and police forces. [75]
  • February 25 A suicide bomber strikes a college in eastern Baghdad killing 42 and injuring 55. The college is part of al-Mustansiriyah university and is owned by the Shiite Mahdi millitia. It is the second time the college has been attacked. [76]
  • Februay 26: 13 people are killed and 10 wounded when a suicide bomber strikes a police checkpoint in Ramadi. [77]
  • February 27: A suicide car bombing in Mosul kills 6 policemen and wounds 38 civilians. In another separate suicide bombing in central Baghdad, 5 people are killed and 13 wounded when the bomber strikes an area filled with restaurants and ice-cream parlors. [78]
  • March 2: 14 bodies of policemen were found north east of Baghdad after an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group claimed responsibility for the kidnappings of 18 interior ministry employees many of them being police officers. The group claimed the kidnappings was in response to the reported rape of a sunni lady at the hands of the police forces. [79]
  • March 5: A suicide car bomber struck Baghdads oldest book market leaving 38 dead and 105 wounded. [80]
  • March 6: 2 suicide bombers blow themselves up among a large crowd of Shiite pilgrims in the town of Hillah killing 120 and wounding over 150. [81]
  • March 7: 30 people are killed when a suicide bomber blows up in a cafe northeast of Baghdad. [82]
  • March 10: 20 people are killed in the Shia millitia stronghold of Sadr city in Baghdad when a suicide bomber attacks a police checkpoint. [83]
  • March 11: A suicide car bomber rammed a truck carrying Shiite pilgrims from Karabala killing 32 and wounding 24. The attack occurred in the capital Baghdad. [84]
  • March 15: 8 Iraqi policemen are killed in Baghdad when a suicide bomber targeted a joint Iraqi army-police checkpoint. [85]
  • March 17: Three separate suicide truck bombings in anbar province leave 2 Iraqi policemen dead. The bombers used trucks containing large amounts of chlorine which left around 350 people feeling sick including US servicemen. [86]
  • March 19: A series of car bombs in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk leave 12 dead and dozens wounded. [87]
  • March 23: Iraq's deputy prime minister is wounded when a suicide bomber wearing an explosive device detonates killing 9 people and wounding 14 others, among the dead includes the deputies advisor and five of his bodyguards. The attack took place in a mosque near the green zone in Baghdad. [88]
  • March 24: Five separate suicide bombings around Iraq kill 44 and wound 82. The deadliest of the attacks was a suicide truck bombing against a police station in a Sunni area of Baghdad killing 20 thirteen of them being police officers. A second suicide truck bombing struck a Shiite mosque in a town south of Baghdad killing 8. A third suicide bomber wearing an explosives device detonated in a pastry shop killing 10 in the town of Tal Afar north of Baghdad. And 2 suicide car bombers struck a police station in the town of Qaim located near the Syrian border killing 6 people 5 of whom were police officers. [89][90]
  • March 27: Two truck bombs targeting markets kill 154 and wound dozens in the mostly Shiite city of Tal Afar, one of the truck bombings killed 153 people alone making it the single deadliest attack since the war began Elsewhere a suicide bomber attacks a restaurant in the Sunni city of Ramadi which is frequented by police officers killing 10 people. And also the leader of the major Sunni insurgent group 1920 Revolution Brigades Harith al-Dari is assassinated in Abu Ghraib west of Baghdad, the assassination shows the widening escalating rift between Al-Qaeda and other Sunni insurgent groups, the 1920 Revolution Brigades has been in talks with the Iraqi government to rout out Al-qaeda millitans. Also a suicide bombing in Baghdad kills one and wounds three in a police checkpoint. [91] [92] [93]
  • March 29: 122 people are killed when 5 suicide bombers hit several Shiite markets North east of Baghdad and a town North of the capital. The attacks are one of the deadliest attacks during the US led invasion of the country. [94]
  • April 1: A suicide car bomber followed up with a suicide truck bombing hit Iraqi army headquarters in the city of Mosul leaving 2 soldiers dead and 22 others wounded, 15 of the wounded were soldiers. [95]
  • April 2: A suicide truck bombing hits a police station in the northern oil rich city of Kirkuk killing 15 and wounding dozens including a US soldiers. 4 other US soldiers were among the wounded and one American humvee was badly damaged. [96]
  • April 6 A suicide truck bomber containing chlorine attacked a police checkpoint in the city of Ramadi located in the insurgent stronghold of Anbar province. The attack left 27 dead and dozens wounded. [97]
  • April 10: A female suicide bomber blew herself up among 200 police recruits killing 16 in the Sunni city of Muqdadiyah. [98]
  • April 12: A suicide bomber blew himself up in the Iraqi parliaments cafeteria killing 8 including 3 lawmakers. The attack shows the insurgents capabilities to literally strike any target within the country. In another major attack, a suicide truck bomber detonanted on al-Sarafiya bridge killing 10 and destroying the bridge. The bridge connected eastern and western Baghdad and is considered as one the cities famous monuments. [99]
  • April 14: A suicide car bomber killed 40 and wounded dozens at a bus station in the holy Shiite city Kerbala. The bombing took place just 200 meters away from the Imam Hussein shrine. A second suicide car bombing took place in Baghdad killing 10, the bomber struck near a police checkpoint. [100]
  • April 15: 2 car bombs exploded within minutes of each other in a shopping area southwest of Baghdad killing 18. A suicide bomber also blew himself up on a minibus killing 6 and wounding 11. In central Baghdad a minibus rigged with explosives was parked and detonanted killing 11 and wounding 15. [101]
  • April 18: a parked car bomb blew up at Sadriyah market located in central Baghdad killing 127 and wounding 148, it is the single deadliest car bombing in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003. Elsewhere a suicide car bomber slammed into a police checkpoint just at the entrance of Sadr city killing 41 and wounding 76. The attacks are a major blow the latest US-Iraqi surge plan to secure Baghdad as Al-Qaeda millitans have shown that they are still capable of carrying several deadly attacks. [102]
  • April 19: The Islamic state of Iraq announced that Abu Ayyub al-Masri the head of Al-Qaeda in Iraq is the minister of war for the insurgent coalition. Also posted on the video is the execution of 20 captured Iraqi security forces. In further violence a suicide bomber blew himself up in a Shiite district of Baghdad killing 12. [103]
  • April 21: A roadside bomb killed the mayor of Musayyib 40 miles south of Baghdad, one of his bodyguards was also killed in the attack and 4 others were wounded. [104]
  • April 22: Two suicide car bombers attacked a police station in Baghdad leaving 13 dead and dozens wounded. [105]
  • April 23: A suicide bomber struck a group of police officers in Baquba killing 6 including a police general. In Ramadi a suicide car bomber struck a restaurant killing 20 and wounding 35, the restaurant was often frequented by Iraqi secutiry forces. In another suicide car bombing in Ramadi, a suicide car bomber struck a police checkpoint killing 4. In further violence a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt detonated in a restaurant in Baghdad that is often frequented with Iraqi security forces killing 6. And in Northern Iraq near Mosul a suicide car bomber struck Kurdish Democratic Party office in Tal Uskuf, killing at least 10 people and wounding 20. [106]
  • April 24: 2 suicide truck bombers struck an American patrol post killing 9 marines and wounding 20 northeast of Baghdad. The Islamic state of Iraq which is headed by Al-Qaeda in Iraq soon claimed responsibility for the attack. [107] [108]
  • April 25: A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a police station northeast of Baghdad killing 4 police officers and wounding 16 people. [109]
  • April 26: A suicide car bomber struck a secutiry check point killing 10 soldiers, the attack took place 50 miles north of Baghdad. In another separate attack two suicide bombers attacked an office of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Massoud Barzani killing three guards, the attack took place in Zumar, 45 miles west of Mosul. [110]
  • April 27: A suicide truck bomber struck the home of a police chief in Anbar province killing 15 includin 9 Iraqi soldiers who were protecting the house, the police chief escaped with his familly. [111] [112]
  • April 28: A parked car exploded near one of Shiite Islam's most holiest shrine killing 68 and wounding dozens. [113] [114]
  • April 30: A suicide car bomber targeting an interior ministry convoy struck an Iraqi checkpoint killing 4 including 2 Iraqi commandos, the attack took place in western Baghdad.In a separate attack a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt detonated in Shiite funeral killing 32, the attack occurred in a province just north of Baghdad. [115][116]
  • May 2: A suicide car bomber struck near a police station in the Shiite Mahdi millitia stronghold of Sadr city leaving 9 dead and 34 wounded. [117]
  • May 5: A suicide bomber detonated his explosive belt among a group of Iraqi recruits killing 15, 5 of the dead were Iraqi soldiers, and the other 10 were would be recruits for Iraqi security forces. The attack took place in the town of Abu Ghraib which is located west of Baghdad. [118]

Attacks outside of Iraq

Al Qaeda in Iraq is blamed for several attacks and attempted attacks outside of Iraq as well:

Influence in post-invasion Iraq

On April 26, 2007, General David Petraeus, commander of the Multinational Force in Iraq, told reporters at a press conference:

"Iraq is, in fact, the central front of Al Qaida's global campaign. And we devote considerable resources to the fight against Al Qaida-Iraq...Al Qaida-Iraq remains a formidable foe with considerable resilience and a capability to produce horrific attacks but a group whose ideology and methods have increasingly alienated many in Iraq.
"This group's activities must be significantly disrupted at the least for the new Iraq to succeed. And it has been heartening to see Sunni Arabs in Anbar province and several other areas turning against Al Qaida and joining the Iraqi security forces to fight against it. That has been a very significant development...We do definitely see links to the greater Al Qaida network. I think you know that we have at various times intercepted messages to and from...Secretary Gates noted the other day that Al Qaida has declared war on all Iraqis. I think that that is an accurate statement. They have killed and wounded and maimed countless Iraqi civilians in addition to, certainly, coalition and Iraqi security forces. And they have done that, again, without regard to ethno-sectarian identity. That significance of Al Qaida in the conduct of the sensational attacks -- the huge car bomb attacks, against which we have been hardening markets, hardening neighborhoods, trying to limit movement and so forth -- those attacks, again, are of extraordinary significance because they can literally drown out anything else that might be happening. So this is a -- you know, it is a very significant enemy. I think it is probably public enemy number one. It is the enemy whose actions sparked the enormous increase in sectarian violence that did so much damage to Iraq in 2006: the bombing of the al-Askari Mosque in Samarra, the gold mosque there, the third holiest Shia shrine. And it is the organization that continues to try to reignite not just sectarian violence but ethnic violence as well, going after Iraqi Kurds in Ninevah province, in Kirkuk and areas such as that as well. So again, I think a very, very significant enemy in that regard."[22]

Growing rift with other Sunni insurgent groups and tribesmen

During the summer of 2006 local Sunni tribesmen and Sunni insurgents began to speak of their dissatisfaction of the millitant group and its tactics. The Islamic army in Iraq another major insurgent group in Iraq went public with their dissatisfaction with the Al-Qaeda group stating:

"Killing Sunnis has become a legitimate target for them, especially rich ones. Either they pay them what they want or they kill them," the statement said.

"They would kill any critic or whoever tries to show them their mistakes. Assaulting people's homes became permitted and calling people infidels also became popular." [122]

Al-Qaeda forces have retaliated against local Sunni tribesmen and other insurgent groups for having talks with the Iraqi government on joining forces to route out Al-Qaeda millitants. Al-Qaeda millitans were responsible for the assassination of Harith al-Dari a major Sunni insurgent leader who headed the 1920 Revolution Brigades. The continuing rift between both parties has led several local Sunnis to state that an all out conflict between the two would be inevitable in the future.

On April 17 2007 the leader of the Islamic state of Iraq which includes Al-Qaeda in Iraq Abu Omar al-Baghdadi released an audio tape in which he tried to soothe down tensions with other major Sunni insurgent groups saying:

"Our friendship is deep ... and ties between us are stronger than some believe," he said. "By God, you will not hear or see but good things (from us)," he said. [123]

The situation between Al-Qaeda in Iraq and local sunni tribesmen in Anbar has continued to worsen, local tribesman have even formed their own local alliance formed specifically to counter Al-Qaeda in Iraq based in Anbar. [124]

On May 5th Abu Ayyub Al Masri the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq released an audio tape warning Sunnis not to join the political process, Masri also went on to criticize vice president Tariq al-Hashami who is a Sunni, the Al-Qaeda leader stated:

"This criminal relentlessly calls for the occupier to remain,"

The leader also went on to adress another Sunni political group the Islamic party stating:

"The leaders of the Islamic Party are renegades but we make it clear that we don't want to fight them and be drawn into secondary battles that only serve the occupier and its Shiite associates," [125] [126]

The Al-Qaeda leader also went on to claim that reports of internal fighting between his group and other Sunni insurgent groups were mere lies and fabrications:

"What you are hearing from satellite channels about internal fights between us and Jihadist groups, or with our blessed tribes, is just lies and fabrications,"

"(These reports) are aimed at the division of our jihadist line," [127]

U.S. campaign against Zarqawi's al-Qaeda forces

Al Qaeda admitted that the American effort against Zarqawi's network resulted in the death of at least 4,000 foreign Al Qaeda terrorists. [128] From September 2003 to early 2004, only 200 or so Al Qaeda members were killed by US troops in Iraq. Most of the US effort during this time, went into Protecting "soft targets" against bombings conducted by the elusive force. In April 2004, U.S. Marines and members of the US Army's 82nd Airborne retook the city of Fallujah killing between 1,200-1,500 Al Qaeda fighters and Sunni Insurgents. In late June 2004, U.S. forces began a campaign of missile strikes and Special Operations assaults, against suspected Al Qaeda safehouses in Anbar Province, a stronghold of insurgents and radical clerics and the supposed focus of Zarqawi's militant network. Between June 18 and June 25, over 60 Al Qaeda members were killed in three separate air raids conducted by the U.S military in both Fallujah and Ramadi. Civilians and officials in Fallujah and Ramadi charged that civilian targets were hit. Zarqawi himself was said to have narrowly escaped the June 25 attack, although there have been conflicting reports as to whether he was within Fallujah. Iraqi civilians, militiamen, policemen, and members of the Iraqi military, have suffered several hundred deaths and injuries in subsequent months, along with several thousand Insurgent and Al Qaeda deaths reported. These deaths are due to an escalating series of duels between anti-coalition militants employing car bombs and U.S. forces employing airstrikes and raids. The Euphrates River region between Baghdad and Ramadi is the focus of the search for Zarqawi and his followers.

On October 15, 2004, the U.S. State Department announced its designation of JTJ (Al Qaeda in Iraq), as a Foreign Terrorist * Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224. Press release.

On June 8, 2006 the Iraqi Prime Minister confirmed that Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi was killed in a United States Air Force F-16 airstrike at 6:15 pm local time (1415 UTC) the previous evening, June 7. In a statement posted on the Internet that day, signed by Al-Qaeda in Iraq's "deputy emir," Abu Abdel-Rahman al-Iraqi, al-Qaeda in Iraq pledged to "increase [their] persistence in continuing holy war so that the word of God will be supreme." [129]

A document found in Zarqawi's safe house indicates that the terrorist group was trying to provoke the U.S. to attack Iran in order to reinvigorate the insurgency in Iraq and to weaken American forces in Iraq. [130] "The question remains, how to draw the Americans into fighting a war against Iran? It is not known whether American is serious in its animosity towards Iran, because of the big support Iran is offering to America in its war in Afghanistan and in Iraq. Hence, it is necessary first to exaggerate the Iranian danger and to convince America and the west in general, of the real danger coming from Iran...". The document then outlines 6 ways to incite war between the two nations. Iraqi national security adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie said the document, shows al-Qaeda in Iraq is being hindered and hence, in "pretty bad shape." He added that "we believe that this is the beginning of the end of al-Qaeda in Iraq."

On June 12, 2006 al-Qaeda in Iraq announced the appointment of Abu Hamza al-Muhajir as the successor to al-Zarqawi. [131]

During the months leading up to Zarqawi's assassination, at least one hundred Al Qaeda commanders and members were killed by Task Force 145, said to be composed of US Special Operations and CIA Paramilitary units. In the subsequent months since Zarqawi's death, at least two hundred Al Qaeda members have been killed or captured according to the US Military, and the Iraqi Government. This number includes

Additional Al Qaeda in Iraq leadership figures publicly known to have been killed or captured by Coalition and Iraqi government forces during the Iraq War include the following:

See also

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

References

  1. ^ "Al Qaeda in Iraq chooses Zarqawi successor", Reuters http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/06/12/iraq_mulls_talks_with_rebels/
  2. ^ "Al Qaeda in Iraq chooses Zarqawi successor", Reuters http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2006/June/focusoniraq_June92.xml&section=focusoniraq
  3. ^ http://www.jamestown.org/publications_details.php?volume_id=400&issue_id=3179&article_id=2369022
  4. ^ Frontline - Iraqi insurgency
  5. ^ Zarqawi kin reportedly bombed shrine in Iraq
  6. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5437742/
  7. ^ http://news.mainetoday.com/war/insideiraq/041222iraqtimeline.shtml
  8. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5437742/
  9. ^ Ibid
  10. ^ Ibid
  11. ^ Ibid
  12. ^ http://www.iags.org/n0124051.htm
  13. ^ http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-04/27/content_326602.htm
  14. ^ http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/06/17/iraq.main/index.html
  15. ^ http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/06/26/iraq.main/index.html
  16. ^ http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/07/28/iraq.main/index.html
  17. ^ http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/08/01/iraq.main/index.html
  18. ^ http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/09/06/iraq.main/index.html
  19. ^ http://news.mainetoday.com/war/insideiraq/041222iraqtimeline.shtml
  20. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17174562 Iraqi official: Al-Qaida in Iraq leader wounded
  21. ^ http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/02/15/iraq.main/index.html Iraqi terror leader reported wounded
  22. ^ "Gen. Petraeus Holds Defense Dept. News Briefing (Transcript)". Washington Post. April 26, 2007.
  23. ^ Agence France-Presse. Iraq's al-Qaeda number two captured. 3 September 2006.
  24. ^ "Iraq Terror Chief Killed In Airstrike". CBS News. June 8 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ "Iraq Terror Chief Killed In Airstrike". CBS News. June 8 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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