Mujahideen Shura Council
Encyclopedia
The Mujahideen Shura Council was an umbrella organization
of at least six Sunni Islamist
groups taking part in the Iraqi insurgency
: Tenzheem Qa'adah al-Jihad (al-Qaeda in Iraq), Jeish al-Taiifa al-Mansoura
, Katbiyan Ansar Al-Tawhid wal Sunnah, Saray al-Jihad Group, al-Ghuraba Brigades, and al-Ahwal Brigades.
The formation of the group was first announced on January 15, 2006, in a statement posted to the Jihad
ist website Hanin Net. The statement was signed by the spokesman for Tenzheem Qa'adah al-Jihad, Abu Maysarah al-Iraqi. It was formed to resist efforts by the U.S. and Iraqi authorities to win over Sunni supporters of the insurgency. The stated purpose of the council was "Managing the struggle in the battle of confrontation to ward off the invading kafir
(infidel
s) and their apostate
stooges...Uniting the word of the mujahideen
and closing their ranks...[and] determining a clear position toward developments and incidents so that people can see things clearly and the truth will not be confused with falsehood." On or before April 25, 2006, a videotape of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
was released bearing the organization's logo. The Mujahideen Shura Council is believed by the United States Marine Corps
to be the primary political force in the Al Anbar province.
The group was headed by Abdullah Rashid al-Baghdadi (nom de guerre: Abu Omar al-Baghdadi).
In mid-October 2006, a statement was released, stating that the Mujahideen Shura Council had been disbanded, and was replaced by the Islamic State of Iraq
.
told The New York Times
about a clash between it and al-Qaeda. U.S. and Iraqi intelligence officials also confirmed to the paper that there had been clashes between "al Qaeda in Iraq" and mainstream Iraqi militant groups fighting the U.S. and coalition forces in Ramadi, Husayba, Yusifiya, Dhuluiya and Karmah.
On January 15, a spokesman of Jihad Base in Iraq, announced the formation of the "Majlis Shura al-Mujahideen fi al-Iraq" (Mujahideen Shura Council in Iraq or Mujaheddin Consultative Council), apparently a coalition of about six insurgent organizations. This was apparently an attempt at regaining support.
Elements of the Shura Council's organization from the top to the bottom remain fluid due both to the nature of its aims and methods as well as its loose confederation. It is speculated that the group was dominated by Jihad Base in Iraq and that his death has dealt a severe blow to the unity of the Council, but how severe is not known. Aside from the murky workings of the Shura Council's leadership it is known that the Council has rather smooth operations when it comes to propaganda, the Council's propaganda czar, Murasel, regularly posts updates, criticisms, and praises for the Council's own acts of violence on a semi-daily basis at blogspot.com.
Thomas Lowell Tucker
and Private First Class Kristian Menchaca
, during an attack that day on a roadside checkpoint in Youssifiya, an area known as the Triangle of Death. The soldiers were actually killed in the attack and their bodies were found in Youssifiyah on June 19.
On October 15, 2006, the Council released a video claiming to declare an Islamic Iraqi state, made up of six provinces including Baghdad. The current Iraqi government has discounted this, noting none of the provinces mentioned are in insurgent control.
On the same day, the Ba'ath Socialist Party, released a statement which warned against 'backing any divisive plan under the pretext to protect whatever community...', a direct reference to the attempted establishment of a separate Sunni Arab state.
On October 18, 2006, according to Brig. Abdul-Karim Khalaf of the Interior Ministry, about 60 al-Qaida militants arrived in Ramadi, 70 miles (112.7 km) west of Baghdad, in 17 vehicles and remained there for 15 minutes before being forced to flee, suffering unspecified losses in clashes with security and "tribal forces". Witnesses said that dozens of masked militants dressed in white marched through the streets of the city, the capital of western Anbar province, carrying banners exhorting people to support an Islamic state in Iraq. "We are from Mujahideen Shura Council and our Amir (Prince) is Abu Omar al-Baghdadi. God willing we will set the law of Sharia here and we will fight the Americans," said a man who identified himself as Abu Harith. "We have announced the Islamic state. Ramadi is part of it. Our state will comprise all the Sunni provinces of Iraq".
However by late October tribal resistance seemed to have ceased and fedayeen
forces affiliated with the Shura Council staged large military parades in cities throughout the Anbar province including Ramadi, where the open presence of militants met no resistance at all.
. Then, in November, a statement was issued by Abu Hamza al-Muhajir stating that the Mujahideen Shura Council had been disbanded, in favor of a new group under the banner of the Islamic State of Iraq. The reason given for this shift was that a new phase of jihad was beginning, in which they would attempt to reestablish the Islamic caliphate. After this statement, there were a few more claims of responsibility issued under the name of the Mujahideen Shura Council, but these eventually ceased and were totally replaced by claims from the Islamic State of Iraq.
Umbrella organization
An umbrella organization is an association of institutions, who work together formally to coordinate activities or pool resources. In business, political, or other environments, one group, the umbrella organization, provides resources and often an identity to the smaller organizations...
of at least six Sunni Islamist
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
groups taking part in the Iraqi insurgency
Iraqi insurgency
The Iraqi Resistance is composed of a diverse mix of militias, foreign fighters, all-Iraqi units or mixtures opposing the United States-led multinational force in Iraq and the post-2003 Iraqi government...
: Tenzheem Qa'adah al-Jihad (al-Qaeda in Iraq), Jeish al-Taiifa al-Mansoura
Jeish al-Taiifa al-Mansoura
Jeish al-Taiifa al-Mansoura is a militant Sunni group known to take part in the Iraqi insurgency. The group was founded by Sheikh Abu Omar al-Ansari....
, Katbiyan Ansar Al-Tawhid wal Sunnah, Saray al-Jihad Group, al-Ghuraba Brigades, and al-Ahwal Brigades.
The formation of the group was first announced on January 15, 2006, in a statement posted to the Jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
ist website Hanin Net. The statement was signed by the spokesman for Tenzheem Qa'adah al-Jihad, Abu Maysarah al-Iraqi. It was formed to resist efforts by the U.S. and Iraqi authorities to win over Sunni supporters of the insurgency. The stated purpose of the council was "Managing the struggle in the battle of confrontation to ward off the invading kafir
Kafir
Kafir is an Arabic term used in a Islamic doctrinal sense, usually translated as "unbeliever" or "disbeliever"...
(infidel
Infidel
An infidel is one who has no religious beliefs, or who doubts or rejects the central tenets of a particular religion – especially in reference to Christianity or Islam....
s) and their apostate
Apostasy in Islam
Apostasy in Islam is commonly defined in Islam as the rejection in word or deed of one's former religion by a person who was previously a follower of Islam...
stooges...Uniting the word of the mujahideen
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
and closing their ranks...[and] determining a clear position toward developments and incidents so that people can see things clearly and the truth will not be confused with falsehood." On or before April 25, 2006, a videotape of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh was a Jordanian militant Islamist who ran a paramilitary training camp in Afghanistan...
was released bearing the organization's logo. The Mujahideen Shura Council is believed by the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
to be the primary political force in the Al Anbar province.
The group was headed by Abdullah Rashid al-Baghdadi (nom de guerre: Abu Omar al-Baghdadi).
In mid-October 2006, a statement was released, stating that the Mujahideen Shura Council had been disbanded, and was replaced by the Islamic State of Iraq
Islamic State of Iraq
The Islamic State of Iraq , is an umbrella organization of a number Iraqi insurgency groups established on October 15 2006.The group is composed of and supported by a variety of insurgency groups, including its predecessor, the Mujahideen Shura Council, Al-Qaeda, Jeish al-Fatiheen, Jund al-Sahaba,...
.
Formation
In October 2005, Iraqis claiming to be part of the Islamic Army in IraqIslamic Army in Iraq
The Islamic Army in Iraq is one of a number of underground Baathist and Islamist militant organizations formed in Iraq following the 2003 invasion of Iraq by United States and coalition military forces, and the subsequent collapse of the Baathist government headed by Saddam Hussein.Although it...
told The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
about a clash between it and al-Qaeda. U.S. and Iraqi intelligence officials also confirmed to the paper that there had been clashes between "al Qaeda in Iraq" and mainstream Iraqi militant groups fighting the U.S. and coalition forces in Ramadi, Husayba, Yusifiya, Dhuluiya and Karmah.
On January 15, a spokesman of Jihad Base in Iraq, announced the formation of the "Majlis Shura al-Mujahideen fi al-Iraq" (Mujahideen Shura Council in Iraq or Mujaheddin Consultative Council), apparently a coalition of about six insurgent organizations. This was apparently an attempt at regaining support.
Structure
Little is known about the organizational structure of the Council, in large part due to the shadowy nature of the organization itself. Jihad Base in Iraq is the most powerful and visible group. Because of the multiple leaders the Shura Council has, there seems to have been no disruption in the Shura Council’s ability to carry out attacks: more than 1600 Iraqi civilians died in the month right after Zarqawi's death, the largest number killed in a month so far.Elements of the Shura Council's organization from the top to the bottom remain fluid due both to the nature of its aims and methods as well as its loose confederation. It is speculated that the group was dominated by Jihad Base in Iraq and that his death has dealt a severe blow to the unity of the Council, but how severe is not known. Aside from the murky workings of the Shura Council's leadership it is known that the Council has rather smooth operations when it comes to propaganda, the Council's propaganda czar, Murasel, regularly posts updates, criticisms, and praises for the Council's own acts of violence on a semi-daily basis at blogspot.com.
Insurgency in Iraq
On June 16, 2006, the council claimed responsibility for the alleged kidnapping of two U.S. soldiers, Private First ClassPrivate First Class
Private First Class is a military rank held by junior enlisted persons.- Singapore :The rank of Private First Class in the Singapore Armed Forces lies between the ranks of Private and Lance-Corporal . It is usually held by conscript soldiers midway through their national service term...
Thomas Lowell Tucker
Thomas Lowell Tucker
Thomas Lowell Tucker from Madras, Oregon, was a Private First Class of the U.S. Army tortured, killed, and mutilated by Al-Qaeda in Iraq. He was one of two U.S. soldiers seized by the Mujahideen Shura Council during an attack that left a third soldier Spc. David J...
and Private First Class Kristian Menchaca
Kristian Menchaca
Kristian Menchaca , Brownsville, Texas, was a United States Army Private First Class who was tortured, killed, and mutilated by Al-Qaeda in Iraq. He was married to Christina Menchaca of Big Spring in September 2005, before he was deployed to Iraq.-Military life:Menchaca was one of two U.S...
, during an attack that day on a roadside checkpoint in Youssifiya, an area known as the Triangle of Death. The soldiers were actually killed in the attack and their bodies were found in Youssifiyah on June 19.
On October 15, 2006, the Council released a video claiming to declare an Islamic Iraqi state, made up of six provinces including Baghdad. The current Iraqi government has discounted this, noting none of the provinces mentioned are in insurgent control.
On the same day, the Ba'ath Socialist Party, released a statement which warned against 'backing any divisive plan under the pretext to protect whatever community...', a direct reference to the attempted establishment of a separate Sunni Arab state.
On October 18, 2006, according to Brig. Abdul-Karim Khalaf of the Interior Ministry, about 60 al-Qaida militants arrived in Ramadi, 70 miles (112.7 km) west of Baghdad, in 17 vehicles and remained there for 15 minutes before being forced to flee, suffering unspecified losses in clashes with security and "tribal forces". Witnesses said that dozens of masked militants dressed in white marched through the streets of the city, the capital of western Anbar province, carrying banners exhorting people to support an Islamic state in Iraq. "We are from Mujahideen Shura Council and our Amir (Prince) is Abu Omar al-Baghdadi. God willing we will set the law of Sharia here and we will fight the Americans," said a man who identified himself as Abu Harith. "We have announced the Islamic state. Ramadi is part of it. Our state will comprise all the Sunni provinces of Iraq".
However by late October tribal resistance seemed to have ceased and fedayeen
Fedayeen
Fedayeen is a term used to describe several distinct militant groups and individuals in West Asia at different times in history. It is sometimes used colloquially to refer to suicide squads, especially those who are not bombers.-Overview:...
forces affiliated with the Shura Council staged large military parades in cities throughout the Anbar province including Ramadi, where the open presence of militants met no resistance at all.
Disbanding
In mid-October 2006, a statement was released, stating that the Mujahideen Shura Council had changed its name to the Islamic State of IraqIslamic State of Iraq
The Islamic State of Iraq , is an umbrella organization of a number Iraqi insurgency groups established on October 15 2006.The group is composed of and supported by a variety of insurgency groups, including its predecessor, the Mujahideen Shura Council, Al-Qaeda, Jeish al-Fatiheen, Jund al-Sahaba,...
. Then, in November, a statement was issued by Abu Hamza al-Muhajir stating that the Mujahideen Shura Council had been disbanded, in favor of a new group under the banner of the Islamic State of Iraq. The reason given for this shift was that a new phase of jihad was beginning, in which they would attempt to reestablish the Islamic caliphate. After this statement, there were a few more claims of responsibility issued under the name of the Mujahideen Shura Council, but these eventually ceased and were totally replaced by claims from the Islamic State of Iraq.