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2005 Erbil bombing

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2005 Erbil bombing
LocationErbil, Kurdistan Region
DateMay 4, 2005
TargetPolice recruitment centre
Attack type
Suicide bombing
Deaths60
Injured150
PerpetratorsAnsar al-Sunna

The 2005 Erbil bombing was a suicide attack on the offices of Kurdish political parties in Erbil, Kurdistan Region, on May 4, 2005. The attacker detonated explosives strapped to his body as people lined up outside a police recruiting center in Erbil.[1] Ansar al-Sunna claimed responsibility. This attack is an example of religious terrorism, groups who commit terrorist acts because of religion believe that their deity or deities are on their side and that their violence is divinely inspired and approved.[2] This attack is also an example of Strategic terrorism. Which is a form of terrorism where the terrorist plans to inflict mass casualties. The goals of Strategic terrorism are normally not local objectives but global objectives or regional objectives.[3] Ansar al-Sunna's goal is to transform the country of Iraq into an Islamic state so their goals are regional.

Ansar al-Sunna

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Ansar al-Sunna stands for Supporters of Islam. "They are an militant Islamic Kurdish separatist movement seeking to transform Iraq into an Islamic state".[4] This group has a Salafist worldview, which means that they insist on a puritanical form of Islam and they seek to emulate the practices of Muhammad.[5] This movement was founded in 2001 by Mullah Krekar and they got financial and logistical help from al-Qaeda and Osama Bin laden. Some of the members of this organization transport money from Germany to northern Iraq to help finance the group.[6]  "This group targets secular Iraqi Kurds-particularly members of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)".[4] Ansar was named a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the U.S. Department of State on March 22, 2004.[4] They are considered an active terrorist group in northern and central Iraq today. Ansar al-Islam operates primarily in northern and central Iraq and claims the second largest number of Sunni jihadist attacks in Iraq after Al-Qaeda.[4] This organization is also known to behead their captives.[5] The goal of Ansar-al Sunna is to have an Islamic country where its people are strong. There are a maximum of two thousand "hard fighters" in Ansar-al-Sunna.[7]

The bombing

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In the bombing on May 4, 2005, the suicide bomber dressed up as a job seeker and blew himself up outside a police recruiting center in the Kurdish provincial capital, killing at least 60 Kurds, most of them prospective policemen, and wounding 150 others.[1] This attack was intended as retribution for the involvement of Kurdish troops fighting insurgents alongside American forces. This bombing was the biggest act of terrorism in Iraq since early March 2005. Because the bomber could not get into the police recruiting center he detonated himself by the gate where young men gathered, killing 46, including the policeman standing outside of the recruiting center. Later it was found that a total of 60 people were found dead.[1]

Reasons for the conflict between Kurds and Ansar-al Sunna

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The Kurdish Islamic Conflict began in 2001. In 2003, the conflict merged with the larger 2003 invasion of Iraq, which led to the defeat of Ansar al-Islam. After the invasion, Ansar al-Islam continued a low-level terrorist revolt against the Kurdish Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. Ansar al-Islam and its allied groups seized control of the area around Halabja from the PUK in late 2001 and that is why there is military conflict between them. Fighting continued throughout 2002. Ansar al-Sunna has tortured prisoners and executed PUK officials.

Reason for the conflict between Baghdad and Erbil

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Conflict has also arisen with the Kurds because they have aimed to retake Kirkuk and that has arisen some problems with the Arabs in Kirkuk. The Arabs have lived there for more than 30 years and they're reluctant to leave. One of the largest oilfields in the area lies underneath Kirkuk and that complicates the dispute. The conflict between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad is mostly due to land. It has been difficult to resolve the conflict between Baghdad and Erbil because it dates back decades and has a lot to do with natural resources.[8] It seems that the Kurdistan Region is reluctant to renounce their claim of the land and this conflict might take some 50 to 100 years to resolve.[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Jaff, Warzer; Oppel Jr., Richard A. (May 5, 2005). "60 Kurds Killed by Suicide Bomb in Northern Iraq". The New York Times. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  2. ^ Payne, Richard J. (February 2016). Global issues : politics, economics, and culture (Fifth ed.). Boston. ISBN 978-0134202051. OCLC 922836373.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ Steinhäusler, Friedrich (2005). "Strategic Terrorism: Threats and Risk Assessment". European Security and Transatlantic Relations after 9/11 and the Iraq War. Palgrave Macmillan, London. pp. 48–65. doi:10.1057/9780230502536_4. ISBN 9781349518951.
  4. ^ a b c d "Ansar al-Islam (Iraq, Islamists/Kurdish Separatists), Ansar al-Sunnah". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 2022-05-05. Retrieved 2017-11-25.
  5. ^ a b Martin, Gus; Kushner, Harvey W. (15 June 2011). The Sage encyclopedia of terrorism (Second ed.). Thousand Oaks, Calif. ISBN 9781412980166. OCLC 729828564.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ^ "[aka Ansar al-Sunna; Ansar al-Sunna Army; Devotees of Islam; Followers of Islam in Kurdistan; Helpers of Islam; Jaish Ansar al-Sunna; Jund al-Islam; Kurdish Taliban; Kurdistan Supporters of Islam; Partisans of Islam; Soldiers of God; Soldiers of Islam; Supporters of Islam in Kurdistan". kk.docdat.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-11-25.
  7. ^ "[aka Ansar al-Sunna; Ansar al-Sunna Army; Devotees of Islam; Followers of Islam in Kurdistan; Helpers of Islam; Jaish Ansar al-Sunna; Jund al-Islam; Kurdish Taliban; Kurdistan Supporters of Islam; Partisans of Islam; Soldiers of God; Soldiers of Islam; Supporters of Islam in Kurdistan". kk.docdat.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-11-25.
  8. ^ a b Paasche, Till F; Sidaway, James D (2015-08-12). "Transecting security and space in Kurdistan, Iraq". Environment and Planning A. 47 (10): 2113–2133. doi:10.1177/0308518x15595750.

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