This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Onel5969 (talk | contribs) at 09:42, 17 July 2023 (Disambiguating links to Ansar ul Islam (link changed to Ansar al-Islam in Kurdistan; link changed to Ansar al-Islam in Kurdistan) using DisamAssist.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 09:42, 17 July 2023 by Onel5969 (talk | contribs) (Disambiguating links to Ansar ul Islam (link changed to Ansar al-Islam in Kurdistan; link changed to Ansar al-Islam in Kurdistan) using DisamAssist.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) Militant Islamist organization
| Kurdistan Brigades | |
|---|---|
| (Template:Lang-ku) | |
 The groups flag, which is a Shahada with "Kurdistan Brigades" written under it. | |
| Leaders | Dilshad Kalari (Unknown to Unknown): Very little is known about Kalari although some sources believe him to be the operational leader of AQKB. Abdullah Hassan al-Surani (2007 to Unknown): Surani has released public statements of behalf of AQKB and is believed to be the group’s official spokesman. |
| Dates of operation | March 2007–present |
| Headquarters | Kurdistan Mountains near Iranian border |
| Ideology | Islamic extremism Salafist Qutbism Salafist Jihadism Wahhabism Anti-Zionism |
| Part of |  al-Qaeda |
| Allies |
|
| Opponents | State opponents
Non-state opponents |
| Battles and wars | the Iraq War and the Global War on Terrorism |
| Designated as a terrorist group by |  United States |
The Kurdistan Brigades, also known as al-Qaeda in Kurdistan or al-Qaeda's Kurdish Brigades, are a militant Islamist organization, primarily active in the northern Iran–Iraq border. It is the Kurdish branch of al-Qaeda that has launched several attacks on the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq. The group was classified as a terrorist organization by the US State Department on January 1, 2012.
Formation
AQKB was founded in 2007, after the apparent disbandment of Ansar al-Islam, another al-Qaeda-affiliated group. The group is considered to be relatively small, but it has camps in the Iranian towns of Mariwan and Sanandaj.
Attacks
The group has launched several attacks, including its largest one being against KRG's Ministry of Interior in Erbil that killed 19 people in May 2007. AQKB killed 7 border guards and one PUK security officer in Penjwan in July 2007. In September 2010, two police officers were hurt by a failed suicide attack in Sulaymaniyah.
References
- "Mapping Militant Organizations, Al Qaeda Kurdish Battalions". Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
- "Mapping Militant Organizations, Al Qaeda Kurdish Battalions". Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
- Hudson, Valerie (30 June 2015). The Hillary Doctrine. Columbia University. p. 154. ISBN 9780231539104. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- "ISI Confirms That Jabhat Al-Nusra Is Its Extension in Syria, Declares 'Islamic State of Iraq And Al-Sham' As New Name of Merged Group". MEMRI. 8 April 2013. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- "The Kurdistan Brigades: Al-Qaeda's Kurdish Henchmen". Jamestown. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- "Terrorist Designation of the al-Qaida Kurdish Battalions". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ "Rudaw in English The Happening: Latest News and Multimedia about Kurdistan, Iraq and the World - US Designates Kurdish Group Terrorists". Rudaw.net. 15 January 2012. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- "Al Qaeda Kurdish Battalions". Stanford - CISAC. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
