| al-Qaeda's Kurdish Battalions | |
|---|---|
| (Arabic: تنظيم القاعدة الكتائب الكردية) | |
 The Shahada flag commonly used by al-Qaeda. | |
| 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.[1] |
| Dates of operation | March 2007–present[2] |
| Headquarters | Mountains of Kurdistan |
| Ideology | |
| Part of | al-Qaeda |
| Allies | Islamic State of Iraq |
| 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 |
al-Qaeda's Kurdish Battalions (AQKB) is 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.[4]
Formation[edit]
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.[5]
Attacks[edit]
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.[5] 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.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ Mapping Militant Organizations, Al Qaeda Kurdish Battalions
- ^ Mapping Militant Organizations, Al Qaeda Kurdish Battalions
- ^ Hudson, Valerie (30 June 2015). The Hillary Doctrine. Columbia University. p. 154. ISBN 9780231539104. Retrieved 15 January 2016. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ "Terrorist Designation of the al-Qaida Kurdish Battalions". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 13 October 2015. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ a b "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. Retrieved 29 January 2012. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ "Al Qaeda Kurdish Battalions". Stanford - CISAC. Retrieved 13 June 2019. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
