Inghimasi ( ar, اِنْغِمَاسِيّ, Inġimāsīy, "become immersed"), also called

shahid ''Shaheed'' ( , , ; pa, ਸ਼ਹੀਦ) denotes a martyr in Islam. The word is used frequently in the Quran in the generic sense of "witness" but only once in the sense of "martyr" (i.e. one who dies for his faith); ...

( ar, شَهِيد, "martyr") and istishhadi ( ar, إِسْتِشْهَادِيّ, "martyrdom seeker"), are forlorn hope or suicide attack

shock troops Shock troops or assault troops are formations created to lead an attack. They are often better trained and equipped than other infantry, and expected to take heavy casualties even in successful operations. "Shock troop" is a calque, a loose tran ...

utilized by several jihadist Sunni Islamist militant groups, including the

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

(ISIL),

al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...

Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) (, transliteration: ', "Organization for the Liberation of the Levant" or "Levant Liberation Committee"), commonly referred to as Tahrir al-Sham, is a Sunni Islamist political and armed organisation involved in the ...

(formerly

Jabhat al-Nusra Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra ( ar, جبهة النصرة لأهل الشام, Jabhat an-Nuṣrah li-Ahl ish-Sham lit. ''Front of the Supporters of the People of Syria/the Levant''), known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham ( ar, جبهة فتح ال ...

), Boko Haram, and al-Shabaab.

Definition and etymology

Inghimasi are usually well-trained guerrilla fighters who are organized into teams, and infiltrate enemy positions in order to cause as much damage as possible, generally expecting to be killed while doing so. They often wear explosive belts that are to be detonated when the possibility arises that they could be captured, run out of ammunition, or expect to be overwhelmed. Inghimasi fighters usually wear clothing resembling that of the target's forces, and use

light weapons A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes c ...

. Inghimasi have to agree to a 'no return' policy, and expect to die in combat. Unlike normal suicide attack forces, however, an Inghimasi can survive their missions and return to their base. The Islamic State gives new recruits the option of becoming an Inghimasi when enlisting, along with the option of operating a SVBIED or being a regular fighter. The word comes from the Arabic word ''Inghamasa'' (انغمس) meaning "to plunge" or "become immersed".

History

Arabic media outlets first reported of Inghimasis in 2013; however, its use on social media originates to 2011, the origin of the Inghimasi concept is attributed to

al-Nusra Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra ( ar, جبهة النصرة لأهل الشام, Jabhat an-Nuṣrah li-Ahl ish-Sham lit. ''Front of the Supporters of the People of Syria/the Levant''), known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham ( ar, جبهة فتح ال ...

. As the Inghimasi concept is attributed to al-Nusra, founded as the Syrian branch of the

Islamic State of Iraq The Islamic State of Iraq (ISI; ar, دولة العراق الإسلامية '), commonly referred to as al-Qaeda in Iraq ( ar, القاعدة في العراق '), is a militant Salafist jihadist group that aimed to establish an Islamic stat ...

in early 2012, this method of attack became prominent during the Syrian Civil War and eventually the 2014–2017 Iraqi Civil War but the usage of Inghimasi tactics have also been used during the

Second Libyan Civil War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Second Libyan Civil War , partof = the Arab Winter, Libyan Crisis, Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, War on terror, and Qatar–Saudi Arabia diplomatic conflict , image ...

. Notable uses of Inghimasi operations include the Battle of Al-Tabqa airbase, the Siege of al-Fu'ah and Kafriya, the 2016

Battle of Kirkuk The Battle of Kirkuk may refer to several historical battles over several conflicts: * Battle of Kirkuk (1733) during the Ottoman–Persian War (1730–35) * Battle of Kirkuk (1991), part of the 1991 uprisings in Iraq * Battle of Kirkuk (2014), par ...

, and various times during the 2012–2016 Battle of Aleppo such as during the Aleppo offensive in October and November 2016. The Inghimasi method of attack is not unique to the Middle East, and has been used in terrorist attacks outside the region. Al-Shabaab in

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constitut ...

is known to employ Inghimasis, and the Islamic State's branch in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...

uses them as well. Furthermore, the individuals involved in the

November 2015 Paris attacks The November 2015 Paris attacks () were a series of coordinated Islamist terrorist attacks that took place on Friday, 13 November 2015 in Paris, France, and the city's northern suburb, Saint-Denis. Beginning at 9:15p.m., three suicide bomber ...

operated in a similar fashion to Inghimasi.

Notable Inghimasi members and operations

* Hudhayfah al-Badri, son of ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, died in combat during an Inghimasi operation against the

Syrian Army " (''Guardians of the Homeland'') , colors = * Service uniform: Khaki, Olive * Combat uniform: Green, Black, Khaki , anniversaries = August 1st , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = 1948 Arab–Israeli War Six ...

and

Russian troops The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces ...

in Homs Governorate. * 2018 As-Suwayda attacks * A raid by four inghimasi fighters belonging to the Islamic State's West Africa Province against Diffa in

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesChad Basin campaign (2018–2019) * A Taliban attack upon

Forward Operating Base Salerno Forward Operating Base Salerno is a former forward operating base used by the United States Armed Forces from 2002–2013 during Operation Enduring Freedom. It is located in the southeastern province of Khost, Afghanistan, near the city of Kho ...

in Khost on June 2012 was technically an inghimasi.

References

Works cited

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Inghimasi Jihadism Irregular units and formations