Jonathan Schanzer1/15/2003
ANSAR AL-ISLAM: IRAQ'S AL-QAEDA CONNECTION
By Jonathan Schanzer - POLICYWATCH #699 - January 15, 2003
ANALYSIS OF NEAR EAST POLICY FROM THE SCHOLARS AND ASSOCIATES OF THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE
http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/watch/Policywatch/index.htm#2003
Ansar al-Islam, an al-Qaeda affiliate active in Iraqi Kurdistan since September 2001, is a prototype of America's enemies
in the "war on terror." The group serves as a testament to
the global spread of al-Qaeda affiliates, achieved through exploitation of weak central authorities and a utilitarian willingness to work with seemingly differing ideologies for
a common cause. Lengthy reports on Ansar have appeared
in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles
Times, and Kurdish leaders have given Washington a
plethora of intelligence on the group. Nevertheless, Ansar
has yet to appear on official U.S. terrorism lists. Meanwhile, political complexities would make military action against the group difficult, at best. Hence, this small force of 650
fighters is a textbook example of the ongoing challenges posed by the war on terror.
Northern Iraq's al-Qaeda
In August 2001, leaders of several Kurdish Islamist factions reportedly visited the al-Qaeda leadership in Afghanistan
with the goal of creating an alternate base for the
organization in northern Iraq. Their intentions were echoed
in a document found in an al-Qaeda guest house
in Afghanistan vowing to "expel those Jews and Christians from Kurdistan and join the way of Jihad, [and] rule every
piece of land . . . with the Islamic Shari'a rule." Soon thereafter, Ansar al-Islam was created using $300,000 to $600,000 in al-Qaeda seed money, in addition to funds
from Saudi Arabia.
Today, Ansar operates in fortified mountain positions along
the Iran-Iraq border known as "Little Tora Bora" (after the Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan). There, the group's
Kurdish, Iraqi, Lebanese, Jordanian, Moroccan, Syrian, Palestinian, and Afghan members train in a wide array of guerrilla tactics. Approximately 30 al-Qaeda members
reportedly joined Ansar upon the group's inception in 2001; that number is now as high as 120. Armed with heavy
machine guns, mortars, and antiaircraft weaponry, the
group fulfills al-Qaeda lieutenant Ayman al-Zawahiri's vision
of a global jihad. Ansar's goal is to disrupt civil society and create a Taliban-like regime in northern Iraq. To that end,
it has already banned music, alcohol, photographs, and advertising in its stronghold. Girls are prevented from
studying; men must grow beards and pray five times daily.
Activities since 2001
Ansar first made headlines in September 2001 when it ambushed and killed forty-two Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) fighters. In February 2002, the group assassinated Franso Hariri, a Kurdish Christian politician. That spring,
Ansar attempted to murder Barham Salih, a PUK leader;
five bodyguards and two attackers were killed in the
ensuing gunfight. In June, the group bombed a Kurdish restaurant, injuring scores and killing a child. In July, the
group killed nine PUK fighters, and destroyed several Sufi shrines -- a move reminiscent of the Taliban. In September, Dutch authorities arrested the group's leader, Najmuddin
Faraj (a.k.a. Mullah Krekar), for suspected ties to al-Qaeda.
In December, Ansar launched a surprise attack after the
PUK sent 1,500 soldiers home to celebrate the end of Ramadan. According to the group's website, they killed
103 PUK fighters and wounded 117.
That same month, Jordan's prime minister announced that
al-Qaeda operative Fazel Inzal al-Khalayleh (a.k.a. Abu
Mussab al-Zarqawi) had sought refuge with Ansar.
Khalayleh had ordered the spring 2002 attack on Salih as
well as the October 2002 murder of U.S. Agency for
International Development officer Laurence Foley in Amman. Khalayleh's deputy, Nur ad-Din ash-Shami (a.k.a. Abu Abdullah), was killed in a battle with Kurdish fighters less
than two weeks ago.
Currently, more than thirty Ansar militants (about twenty of whom are Arab) are incarcerated in Sulaymaniyah. Their testimony has provided clues about the group's ties to
Saddam Husayn, al-Qaeda, Iran, and weapons of mass destruction.
Chemical Weapons
Some Bush administration and PUK officials claim that Ansar
has established chemical weapons facilities in Iraqi
Kurdistan. Reports allege that Baghdad helped to smuggle these weapons from Afghanistan and that Ansar has tested substances such as cyanide gas and the poison Ricin. Salih
has cited "clear evidence" that such tests have been
performed on animals. Moreover, the Washington Post reported that the group smuggled VX nerve gas through Turkey in fall 2001.
Links to Saddam
Bush administration and PUK officials have also speculated
that Ansar may be working with Saddam through a man
named Abu Wa'il, reportedly an al-Qaeda operative on Saddam's payroll. Kurdish explosives experts also claim
that TNT seized from Ansar was produced by the Iraqi
military, and that arms are sent to the group from areas controlled by Saddam. Iraqi officials deny all such ties, yet Saddam clearly profits from Ansar's activities, which keep Kurdish opposition forces tied up on the border and away
from Saddam. Indeed, support for Ansar is not unlike the money Saddam gives to families of Palestinian suicide bombers; turning up the heat in Kurdistan and the
Palestinian territories takes heat off Saddamas a crisis
looms.
Currently, Kurdish and international sources are
accumulating evidence they say could soon present a
clearer picture of Saddam's cooperation with al-Qaeda.
Links to Iran
Iran supports Ansar by allowing it to operate along its
borders. Iran may also provide logistical support by
permitting the flow of goods and weapons and providing
a safe area beyond the front. The Turkish daily Milliyet has noted that Ansar militants check cars leaving their
stronghold en route to Iran, indicating coordination with
the Islamic republic. Moreover, the recently apprehended Mullah Krekar spent many years in Iran and was arrested
in Amsterdam after a flight from Tehran.
Iran has several possible reasons for supporting Ansar.
For one, having a democratic proto-state on its borders threatens the very nature of the Islamic republic. Thus, continued guerrilla activity benefits Tehran, as does any movement designed to spread Islamism in Kurdistan.
Furthermore, by supporting Ansar and other Islamist
groups in Iraq, Tehran may attempt to gain influence
among the various factions that could contribute to a
new Iraqi government if Saddam's regime is overthrown.
Implications
More than one year after Ansar announced its formation,
the State Department has yet to designate it a Foreign Terrorist Organization, nor has the Treasury Department
listed it as a Special Designated Global Terrorist. It would
be interesting to know why. Other questions remain:
Can Washington pressure Iran to cease cooperation with Ansar? Can it persuade Norway, where Mullah Krekar lived
for several years, to examine his financial accounts? Can it verify ties between al-Qaeda and Saddam based on
interviews with captured Ansar militants?
If such links are established, military force should be considered. Reports from the front indicate that Ansar
could not withstand an aerial assault. Yet, Washington
may be reticent to attack during this period of UN
inspections for fear of international rebuke, particularly
from Turkey. Ankara, already ambivalent about an Iraq
war, may be sensitive to any measures that would
potentially strengthen the Kurds. Still, Ansar al-Islam
poses a threat to any future U.S. ground deployment.
Moreover, dismantling the group would potentially
weaken both Saddam and al-Qaeda -- two primary targets
in the war on terror.
Jonathan Schanzer is a Soref fellow at the Washington Institute.
By Jonathan Schanzer - POLICYWATCH #699 - January 15, 2003
ANALYSIS OF NEAR EAST POLICY FROM THE SCHOLARS AND ASSOCIATES OF THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE
http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/watch/Policywatch/index.htm#2003
Ansar al-Islam, an al-Qaeda affiliate active in Iraqi Kurdistan since September 2001, is a prototype of America's enemies
in the "war on terror." The group serves as a testament to
the global spread of al-Qaeda affiliates, achieved through exploitation of weak central authorities and a utilitarian willingness to work with seemingly differing ideologies for
a common cause. Lengthy reports on Ansar have appeared
in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles
Times, and Kurdish leaders have given Washington a
plethora of intelligence on the group. Nevertheless, Ansar
has yet to appear on official U.S. terrorism lists. Meanwhile, political complexities would make military action against the group difficult, at best. Hence, this small force of 650
fighters is a textbook example of the ongoing challenges posed by the war on terror.
Northern Iraq's al-Qaeda
In August 2001, leaders of several Kurdish Islamist factions reportedly visited the al-Qaeda leadership in Afghanistan
with the goal of creating an alternate base for the
organization in northern Iraq. Their intentions were echoed
in a document found in an al-Qaeda guest house
in Afghanistan vowing to "expel those Jews and Christians from Kurdistan and join the way of Jihad, [and] rule every
piece of land . . . with the Islamic Shari'a rule." Soon thereafter, Ansar al-Islam was created using $300,000 to $600,000 in al-Qaeda seed money, in addition to funds
from Saudi Arabia.
Today, Ansar operates in fortified mountain positions along
the Iran-Iraq border known as "Little Tora Bora" (after the Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan). There, the group's
Kurdish, Iraqi, Lebanese, Jordanian, Moroccan, Syrian, Palestinian, and Afghan members train in a wide array of guerrilla tactics. Approximately 30 al-Qaeda members
reportedly joined Ansar upon the group's inception in 2001; that number is now as high as 120. Armed with heavy
machine guns, mortars, and antiaircraft weaponry, the
group fulfills al-Qaeda lieutenant Ayman al-Zawahiri's vision
of a global jihad. Ansar's goal is to disrupt civil society and create a Taliban-like regime in northern Iraq. To that end,
it has already banned music, alcohol, photographs, and advertising in its stronghold. Girls are prevented from
studying; men must grow beards and pray five times daily.
Activities since 2001
Ansar first made headlines in September 2001 when it ambushed and killed forty-two Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) fighters. In February 2002, the group assassinated Franso Hariri, a Kurdish Christian politician. That spring,
Ansar attempted to murder Barham Salih, a PUK leader;
five bodyguards and two attackers were killed in the
ensuing gunfight. In June, the group bombed a Kurdish restaurant, injuring scores and killing a child. In July, the
group killed nine PUK fighters, and destroyed several Sufi shrines -- a move reminiscent of the Taliban. In September, Dutch authorities arrested the group's leader, Najmuddin
Faraj (a.k.a. Mullah Krekar), for suspected ties to al-Qaeda.
In December, Ansar launched a surprise attack after the
PUK sent 1,500 soldiers home to celebrate the end of Ramadan. According to the group's website, they killed
103 PUK fighters and wounded 117.
That same month, Jordan's prime minister announced that
al-Qaeda operative Fazel Inzal al-Khalayleh (a.k.a. Abu
Mussab al-Zarqawi) had sought refuge with Ansar.
Khalayleh had ordered the spring 2002 attack on Salih as
well as the October 2002 murder of U.S. Agency for
International Development officer Laurence Foley in Amman. Khalayleh's deputy, Nur ad-Din ash-Shami (a.k.a. Abu Abdullah), was killed in a battle with Kurdish fighters less
than two weeks ago.
Currently, more than thirty Ansar militants (about twenty of whom are Arab) are incarcerated in Sulaymaniyah. Their testimony has provided clues about the group's ties to
Saddam Husayn, al-Qaeda, Iran, and weapons of mass destruction.
Chemical Weapons
Some Bush administration and PUK officials claim that Ansar
has established chemical weapons facilities in Iraqi
Kurdistan. Reports allege that Baghdad helped to smuggle these weapons from Afghanistan and that Ansar has tested substances such as cyanide gas and the poison Ricin. Salih
has cited "clear evidence" that such tests have been
performed on animals. Moreover, the Washington Post reported that the group smuggled VX nerve gas through Turkey in fall 2001.
Links to Saddam
Bush administration and PUK officials have also speculated
that Ansar may be working with Saddam through a man
named Abu Wa'il, reportedly an al-Qaeda operative on Saddam's payroll. Kurdish explosives experts also claim
that TNT seized from Ansar was produced by the Iraqi
military, and that arms are sent to the group from areas controlled by Saddam. Iraqi officials deny all such ties, yet Saddam clearly profits from Ansar's activities, which keep Kurdish opposition forces tied up on the border and away
from Saddam. Indeed, support for Ansar is not unlike the money Saddam gives to families of Palestinian suicide bombers; turning up the heat in Kurdistan and the
Palestinian territories takes heat off Saddamas a crisis
looms.
Currently, Kurdish and international sources are
accumulating evidence they say could soon present a
clearer picture of Saddam's cooperation with al-Qaeda.
Links to Iran
Iran supports Ansar by allowing it to operate along its
borders. Iran may also provide logistical support by
permitting the flow of goods and weapons and providing
a safe area beyond the front. The Turkish daily Milliyet has noted that Ansar militants check cars leaving their
stronghold en route to Iran, indicating coordination with
the Islamic republic. Moreover, the recently apprehended Mullah Krekar spent many years in Iran and was arrested
in Amsterdam after a flight from Tehran.
Iran has several possible reasons for supporting Ansar.
For one, having a democratic proto-state on its borders threatens the very nature of the Islamic republic. Thus, continued guerrilla activity benefits Tehran, as does any movement designed to spread Islamism in Kurdistan.
Furthermore, by supporting Ansar and other Islamist
groups in Iraq, Tehran may attempt to gain influence
among the various factions that could contribute to a
new Iraqi government if Saddam's regime is overthrown.
Implications
More than one year after Ansar announced its formation,
the State Department has yet to designate it a Foreign Terrorist Organization, nor has the Treasury Department
listed it as a Special Designated Global Terrorist. It would
be interesting to know why. Other questions remain:
Can Washington pressure Iran to cease cooperation with Ansar? Can it persuade Norway, where Mullah Krekar lived
for several years, to examine his financial accounts? Can it verify ties between al-Qaeda and Saddam based on
interviews with captured Ansar militants?
If such links are established, military force should be considered. Reports from the front indicate that Ansar
could not withstand an aerial assault. Yet, Washington
may be reticent to attack during this period of UN
inspections for fear of international rebuke, particularly
from Turkey. Ankara, already ambivalent about an Iraq
war, may be sensitive to any measures that would
potentially strengthen the Kurds. Still, Ansar al-Islam
poses a threat to any future U.S. ground deployment.
Moreover, dismantling the group would potentially
weaken both Saddam and al-Qaeda -- two primary targets
in the war on terror.
Jonathan Schanzer is a Soref fellow at the Washington Institute.
