The Jaish al-Mujahideen (or Army of the Holy Warrior) is a

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a dis ...

militant group in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

. The group first emerged in late 2004.Group Profile: Mujahideen Army

MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base The MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base (TKB) was an online portal containing information on terrorist incidents, leaders, groups, and related court cases. It was active from September 2004 to March 2008 and is now defunct, but the group profiles that we ...

The Mujahideen Army is one of the founding members of the Jihad and Reform Front as well as a member of the Political Council for the Iraqi Resistance (PCIR). The Mujahideen Army is comprised almost exclusively of native Iraqi Sunni Muslims, including Saddam Hussein's military such as

Fedayeen Saddam Fedayeen Saddam () was a paramilitary Fedayeen organization loyal to the Ba'athist Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein. The name was chosen to mean "Saddam's Men of Sacrifice". At its height, the group had 30,000–40,000 members. Irregular force ...

and

Special Republican Guard The Iraqi Special Republican Guard (SRG) ( ar, الحرس الجمهوري الخاص ""Ḥaris al-‘Irāq al-Jamhūriyy al-Khas"), also known as the Special Forces Brigade of the Presidential Palace, Republican Guard Special Protection Forces, o ...

Ideology

Religious in the nature, the Mujahideen Army takes on a more nationalist tone in its rhetoric. The militant group is believed to have an ideology similar to that of fellow Iraqi insurgent group, the Islamic Army in Iraq (IAI).State of the Sunni Insurgency in Iraq: August 2007

NEFA Foundation The Nine Eleven Finding Answers Foundation (NEFA Foundation) was a tax exempt, 501(c)(3) organization, nonprofit, charitable organization engaged in terrorism research and analysis. Although NEFA lists a New York address for its headquarters on ...

, August 15, 2007 In May 2006 the Mujahideen Army released a statement condemning Iraq's ethnic and sectarian infighting and urged Iraqis to work "with a sense of national and religious responsibility for the sake of future generations." In late January 2006, the Mujahideen Army issued a communiqué calling for attacks against

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

, in response to the publication of cartoons depicting the

Islamic prophet Prophets in Islam ( ar, الأنبياء في الإسلام, translit=al-ʾAnbiyāʾ fī al-ʾIslām) are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God's message on Earth and to serve as models of ideal human behaviour. Some prophets ar ...

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mon ...

in several Danish newspapers.Communiqué from the Mujahideen Army of Iraq
GlobalTerrorAlert.com, January 30, 2006 They also threatened attacks following controversial comments made by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereig ...

in September 2006.Mujahideen's Army threatens Pope with suicide attack
''

The Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is a broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''The Palestine Post''. In 1950, it changed its name to ''The Jerusalem Post''. In 2004, the pap ...

'', September 16, 2006 They announced their intention to "destroy their cross in the heart of Rome… and to hit the Vatican." The Mujahideen Army have also taken the unique step of appealing directly to the American public via several English-language videos purportedly produced and distributed by the group."The Mujahideen Army" Releases Video in English

SITE Institute The Search for International Terrorist Entities (SITE) Institute was an organization that tracked the online activity of terrorist organizations. The SITE Institute was founded in 2002 by Rita Katz and Josh Devon, who had left the Investigative ...

, March 22, 2005

Attacks

The Mujahideen Army has taken credit for numerous attacks against American forces in Iraq. The majority of these claims are issued in communiqués or videos posted on

mujahideen ''Mujahideen'', or ''Mujahidin'' ( ar, مُجَاهِدِين, mujāhidīn), is the plural form of ''mujahid'' ( ar, مجاهد, mujāhid, strugglers or strivers or justice, right conduct, Godly rule, etc. doers of jihād), an Arabic term t ...

websites. Some notable attacks in which the Mujahideen Army has claimed responsibility: * The January 2007 downing of a

Black Hawk helicopter The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. Sikorsky submitted the S-70 design for the United States Army's Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System ( ...

north of

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

.Mujahideen Army in Iraq Issues Video of Downing a Black Hawk in al-Niba'i

, February 26, 2007 * Shooting down an American

Apache helicopter The Boeing AH-64 Apache () is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. It features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night visi ...

in January 2006.The Mujahideen Army Issues a Video Depicting the Downing of an Apache Helicopter in al-Taramiya

, January 16, 2006

Leadership

Little is publicly known about the Mujahideen Army's leadership and command structure. In October 2005, the U.S. military announced that it had captured Ahmad Ni'mah Khudayyir Abbas (a.k.a. Abu Shihab), a group "lieutenant and propaganda chief" in the

Abu Ghraib Abu Ghraib (; ar, أبو غريب, ''Abū Ghurayb'') is a city in the Baghdad Governorate of Iraq, located just west of Baghdad's city center, or northwest of Baghdad International Airport. It has a population of 189,000 (2003). The old road ...

district west of

.The Jaysh al-Mujahideen terrorist lieutenant and propaganda chief captured
GlobalSecurity.org In a January 2006 statement urging the Mujahideen Army to join the then-fledgling Mujahideen Shura Council, al-Qaida in Iraq identified the

emir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...

of the Mujahideen Army as "The Leaping Lion."Joining al-Qaeda, Declining al-Qaeda
ThreatsWatch.org, January 31, 2006 The intelligence analyst Malcolm Nance claims that Mujahidin Army of Iraq was a liaison between former Baath militias like the fedayeen and the Islamists. However, most Mujahidin Army commanders appear to be former soldiers who were anti-Baathist politically and became Islamist mujahidin after they left army service and the United States invaded.Malcolm Nance, ''Terrorists of Iraq'', 2014. Mujahidin Army spokespeople like Abdul-Rahman Qaisi and Abdullah Umari have been critical of the Baath and want to turn Iraq into an Islamic emirate free of control from occupation

References

{{Armed Iraqi groups in the Iraq War and the Iraq Civil War

External links

*

, article by Peter &

Paul Cruickshank John Paul Cruickshank (born 18 January 1960) is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League as a midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclus ...

, '' Mother Jones'', October 31, 2007 Arab militant groups Factions in the Iraq War Rebel groups in Iraq Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011) Islamist insurgent groups 2004 establishments in Iraq Organizations designated as terrorist by Iraq Organizations based in Asia designated as terrorist