Jund Ash Sham
Encyclopedia
Jund Ash Sham aka Jund al-Sham (Soldiers of Damascus) is an anti-Fatah
Sunni Muslim
group formed in the Palestinian
refugee camp
of Ain al-Hilweh
in 2004 and is considered a splinter group of Osbat al-Nour
. Jund Ash Sham has claimed responsibility for the car bomb
assassination
of Hezbollah official Ghaleb Awwali
claiming that the assassination was part of a plan to eradicate Shiite heresy. Later however a man claiming to be the group's leader denied any involvement. The group is now headed by Abu Youssef Sharqieh
, former Fatah official.
Jund Ash Sham's military wing is headed by Imad Yassin
, a dropout from Abu Mohjen's Osbat al-Ansar
which has long been blacklisted by the United States as a terrorist faction linked to Osama bin Laden
's al-Qaida network.
The Dinniyeh
group is said to have merged into Jund al-Sham. Dinniyeh leader Bassam Ahmad al-Kanj was killed in an uprising in the mountains of Dinniyeh
in January 2000. The Dinniyeh group then found shelter in Ayn al-Hilweh.
In October 2003 Jund Ash-Sham fought with a Nasserist
group outside Ain Al-Helwa. 4 people were injured.
On March 19, 2005 Jund Ash Sham killed one British
teacher outside of a theatre in Dohar, and injured 12 other people.
In July 2005, Jund Ash Sham faxed a threat to assassinate several prominent Hezbollah allies and leaders, including former spiritual leader Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, to the Shiite Fatwa Center in Tyre.
In October 2005, Jund al-Sham threatened to slaughter the German
prosecutor Detlev Mehlis
, who was heading the UN inquiry into the assassination of Rafik Hariri
. Claiming that Mehlis was connected with Israel.
On June 2, 2006 the Russia
n Supreme Court
banned Jund Ash Sham along with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group.
at the time of the 7th century caliphate of Omar
(the second Caliph
). "Al-Sham" is said to be used nowadays to refer to old Damascus.
Fatah
Fataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
Sunni Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
group formed in the Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
refugee camp
Refugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in any one single camp. Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations, or international organizations, or NGOs.Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu...
of Ain al-Hilweh
Ain al-Hilweh
Ain al-Hilweh is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon with over 70,000 refugees, located on the outskirts of the port of Sidon. Because Lebanese Armed Forces are not allowed to enter the camp Ain al-Hilweh has been called a "zone of unlaw" by the Lebanese media...
in 2004 and is considered a splinter group of Osbat al-Nour
Osbat al-Nour
Osbat al-Nour is an extreme militant group that professes allegiance to the Salafi form of Islam.-Ain al-Hilweh 2003:In May of 2003 fighting broke out between members of Osbat al-Nour and Fatah militia members in the south Lebanon Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh after the near-fatal...
. Jund Ash Sham has claimed responsibility for the car bomb
Car bomb
A car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
of Hezbollah official Ghaleb Awwali
Ghaleb Awwali
Ghaleb Awwali was a senior Hezbollah official who was assassinated in a car bombing in Beirut, Lebanon on July 19, 2004. Hezbollah blamed Israel for the attack. However, credit was claimed by a previously unheard of Sunni group called Jund Ash Sham. Ghaleb Awwali has been called a martyr of...
claiming that the assassination was part of a plan to eradicate Shiite heresy. Later however a man claiming to be the group's leader denied any involvement. The group is now headed by Abu Youssef Sharqieh
Abu Youssef Sharqieh
Abu Youssef Sharqieh is the leader of Jund al-Sham and former Fatah official. Abu Youssef Sharqieh is called "Prince of the Sharia". He is said to rarely leave his home but has established himself as an important figure in the area of Ain al-Hilweh, Lebanon. Jund Ash Sham claims that Sharqieh...
, former Fatah official.
Jund Ash Sham's military wing is headed by Imad Yassin
Imad Yassin
Imad Yassin is the leader of Jund Ash Sham's military wing. He is a dropout of Abu Mohjen's Osbat al-Ansar, which has long been considered a terrorist organization by the United States, due to its connection with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network....
, a dropout from Abu Mohjen's Osbat al-Ansar
Osbat al-Ansar
Osbat al-Ansar or Asbat an-Ansar is a Lebanon-based Sunni fundamentalist group established in the early 1990s which professes the Salifi form of Islam and the overthrow of the Lebanese-dominated secular government...
which has long been blacklisted by the United States as a terrorist faction linked to Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
's al-Qaida network.
The Dinniyeh
Dinniyeh
Dinniyeh is a region located in Miniyeh-Danniyeh District in the North Governorate of Lebanon. The region lies east of Tripoli, extends north as far as Akkar District, south to Bsharri District and Zgharta District and as far east as Baalbek and Hermel...
group is said to have merged into Jund al-Sham. Dinniyeh leader Bassam Ahmad al-Kanj was killed in an uprising in the mountains of Dinniyeh
Dinniyeh
Dinniyeh is a region located in Miniyeh-Danniyeh District in the North Governorate of Lebanon. The region lies east of Tripoli, extends north as far as Akkar District, south to Bsharri District and Zgharta District and as far east as Baalbek and Hermel...
in January 2000. The Dinniyeh group then found shelter in Ayn al-Hilweh.
In October 2003 Jund Ash-Sham fought with a Nasserist
Nasserism
Nasserism is an Arab nationalist political ideology based on the thinking of the former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. It was a major influence on pan-Arab politics in the 1950s and 1960s, and continues to have significant resonance throughout the Arab World to this day. It also...
group outside Ain Al-Helwa. 4 people were injured.
On March 19, 2005 Jund Ash Sham killed one British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
teacher outside of a theatre in Dohar, and injured 12 other people.
In July 2005, Jund Ash Sham faxed a threat to assassinate several prominent Hezbollah allies and leaders, including former spiritual leader Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, to the Shiite Fatwa Center in Tyre.
In October 2005, Jund al-Sham threatened to slaughter the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
prosecutor Detlev Mehlis
Detlev Mehlis
Detlev Mehlis is currently the Senior Public Prosecutor in the Office of the Attorney General in Berlin. He has 30 years of prosecutorial experience and has led numerous investigations into serious, complex transnational crimes...
, who was heading the UN inquiry into the assassination of Rafik Hariri
Rafik Hariri
Rafic Baha El Deen Al-Hariri , was a business tycoon and the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 until his resignation, 20 October 2004.He headed five cabinets during his tenure...
. Claiming that Mehlis was connected with Israel.
On June 2, 2006 the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Supreme Court
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
banned Jund Ash Sham along with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group.
The name
The name "Jund al-Sham" refers to DamascusDamascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
at the time of the 7th century caliphate of Omar
Omar
Omar can refer to:-Name:* Omar , including a list of people with the given name or surname Omar, Omer or Umar as well-Places:* Omar, Konar, a village in Afghanistan...
(the second Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
). "Al-Sham" is said to be used nowadays to refer to old Damascus.