The Supreme Command for Jihad and Liberation (a.k.a. Supreme Council of Jihad and Liberation or SCJL or Ba'athist Loyalists) is an

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

i front comprising some 23 militia groups formed in October 2007 and were led by former Iraqi vice president and deputy chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri. The name is also often used to refer to the largest militia in the front, the Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order (also known by its Arabic initials JRTN), which was commanded by Douri himself. The formation of the coalition was announced on 3 October 2007 in a videotaped message broadcast on the

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

satellite television channel

Al Arabiya Arabiya (, transliterated: '; meaning "The Arabic One" or "The Arab One") is a Saudi state-owned international Arabic news television channel. It is based in Riyadh and is a subsidiary of MBC Group. The channel is a flagship of the media c ...

and in a statement posted on a

Ba'athist Ba'athism, also spelled Baathism, is an Arab nationalist ideology which advocates the establishment of a unified Arab state through the rule of a Ba'athist vanguard party operating under a revolutionary socialist framework. The ideology ...

website.Saddam ex-deputy heads new insurgent coalition: report

Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse (; AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency. With 2,400 employees of 100 nationalities, AFP has an editorial presence in 260 c ...

, 3 October 2007

Ideology

The group laid down a series of eight terms and conditions in order for negotiations with U.S. forces to take place:Al Douri forms nationalist Sunni coalition
''The Long War Journal'', 4 October 2007 # Officially recognize the patriotic Resistance and all the patriotic, Arab nationalist, and Islamist Resistance organizations in all their armed and civil organizations as the sole legitimate representative of Iraq and its people. # Officially announce an unconditional withdrawal from Iraq – whether that be immediate or in short stages. # Halt raids, pursuits, killings, destruction, sabotage, dispossession, and expulsions and withdraw the occupation troops from all population centers. # Free all prisoners and detainees without exception and compensate them for their losses. # Return to service the Iraqi Army and national security forces, which were declared dissolved by the Americans during their invasion in 2003. They are to be restored in keeping with the rules and traditions that were in force before the American invasion and they must also be compensated for their losses. # Pledge to compensate Iraq for all the material and moral losses and injuries caused the country by the occupation. # Cancel all laws, decrees, and other pieces of legislation issued after the occupation. # Hold direct talks with the Resistance on implementing a program to fulfill the principles adhered to by the Supreme Command.

Leadership

In addition to naming ad-Douri head of the group, the Supreme Command for Jihad and Liberation also appointed several others to its general staff:
AlBasrah.net, 3 October 2007 * Lieutenant General 'Amir Muhammad Amin (Deputy Supreme Commander for Military Affairs) * Shaykh 'Ali 'Abdallah al-'Ubaydi (Head of Religious Consultation Body) * General Khalid Sulayman Khalaf (Head of National Security Board) * Lieutenant General Muhammad Salig 'Alwan (Head of Board for Administrative and Financial Affairs) * General Salah ad-Din Ahmad (Head of Board for Information and Mobilization) * Dr. Kan'an Amin (Official Spokesman)

Included groups

The Supreme Command for Jihad and Liberation is made up of 23 resistance groups. The coalition is led by a

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

group – "The Army of the Men of the

Naqshbandi Naqshbandi (Persian: نقشبندیه) is a major Sufi order within Sunni Islam, named after its 14th-century founder, Baha' al-Din Naqshband. Practitioners, known as Naqshbandis, trace their spiritual lineage (silsila) directly to the Prophet ...

Order." Ad-Douri is said to have ascribed to

Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

, a mystical form of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, in his later years.Iraqi Insurgents Announce New Coalition

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

, ''International Herald Tribune'', 3 October 2007 The 23 named groups include: # The Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order # The Army of the Prophet's Companions (''Jaish al-Sahaba'') # The Army of the Murabiteen (''Jaish al-Murabiteen'') # The Army of al-Hamzah (''Jaish al-Hamzah'') # The Army of the Message (''Jaish al-Risala'') # The Army of Ibn al-Walid (''Jaish Ibn al-Walid'') # The United Command of the Mujahideen in Iraq # The Liberation Brigades (''Kataeb al-Tahrir'') # The Army of al-Mustafa (''Jaish al-Mustafa'') # The Army of the Liberation of Iraq (''Jaish Tahrir Iraq'') # Squadrons of the Martyrs (''Saraya al-Shuhada'') # The Army of the Sabireen (''Jaish al-Sabireen'') # The Brigades of the Jihad in the Land of the Two Rivers # The Army of the Knight for the Liberation of the Self-Rule Area # Squadrons of the Jihad in Basra (''Saraya al-Jihad al-Basrah'') # Jihadist Squadrons of Fallujah (''Saraya al-Falluja al-Jihadiya'') # The Patriotic Popular Front for the Liberation of Iraq # The Squadrons of the Husayni Revolution of at-Taff (''Saraya Altaf al-Husayni'') # Squadrons of the Liberation of the South (''Saraya Tahrir al-Junoob'') # Army of Haneen (''Jaish al-Haneen'') # Squadrons of Diyala for Jihad and Liberation # The Squadrons of Glory for the Liberation of Iraq

References

External links

Iraq insurgents form front under ex-Saddam aide: TV

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

, 3 October 2007
Attacks attributed to the SCJL
on the START terrorism database. {{DEFAULTSORT:Supreme Command For Jihad And Liberation 2007 establishments in Iraq Arab nationalism in Iraq Arab nationalist militant groups Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region Ba'ath Party paramilitary organizations Ba'athist organizations Factions in the Iraq War Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011) Iraqi nationalism Rebel alliances Rebel groups in Iraq Socialism in Iraq

Ideology

Leadership

Included groups

See also

References

External links