Islamic State
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (April 2007) |
The Islamic State of Iraq is an Islamist umbrella organization established in 2006 "to protect the Sunni Iraqi people and defend Islam, by the Pact of the Scented People". It is composed of a variety of insurgency groups, including the Mujahideen Shura Council in Iraq, Conquering Army (Jeish al-Fatiheen), Soldiers of the Prophet Muhammad (Jund al-Sahaba), Brigades of Al-Tawhid Wal Sunnah, and Sunni tribes. It aims to establish a caliphate in the Sunni Arab dominated regions of Iraq.
It claims a presence in the governorates of Baghdad, Anbar, Diyala, Kirkuk, Salah al-Din, Ninawa, and parts of Babel and Wasit, and is headed by the Emir of the Believers Abu Abdullah al-Rashid al-Baghdadi ("Abu Omar al-Baghdadi"). The Islamic State of Iraq and its allies possessed de facto control over the Anbar and Diyala governates forming the majority of its local governments by September, 2006. [1][2][3] [4]
2007 events
March
The Interior Ministry of Iraq said that Al-Baghdadi was captured in Baghdad on March 9, 2007,[5] but it was later said that the person in question was not Al-Baghdadi.[6]
April
On April 19, 2007, the organization announced that it hat set up a provisional government termed "the first Islamic administration" of post-invasion Iraq. The "emirate" was stated to be headed by Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and his "cabinet" of 10 "ministers"[7]:
| Name (English transliteration) and notable pseudonyms | Name (Arabic) | Post | Notes |
| Abu Abdullah Rashid al-Baghdadi AKA Abu Hamza al-B.; Abu Omar al-B. |
ابو عبد الله رشيد البغدادي | Emir | Reports of his death on May 1/2, 2007 seem to be in error; see biography for details. |
| Abu Abdul Rahman al-Falahi | ابو عبد الرحمن الفلاحي | "First Minster" (Prime Minister) | |
| Abu Hamza al-Muhajir AKA Abu Ayyub al-Masri? |
ابو حمزة المهاجر | War | Identity of al-Muhajir with al-Masri suspected. ISI has apparently only used former name. Reports of his death on May 1, 2007 are probably in error; see biography for details. |
| Abu Uthman al-Tamimi | ابو عثمان التميمي | Sharia affairs | |
| Abu Bakr al-Jabouri AKA Muharib Abdul-Latif al-Jabouri |
ابو بكر الجبوري | Public Relations | Common spelling variants: al-Jubouri, al-Jiburi. Killed on May 1/2, 2007 near Taji under unclear circumstances[8] |
| Abu Abdul Jabar al-Janabi | ابو عبد الجبار الجنابي | Security | |
| Abu Muhammad al-Mashadani | ابو محمد المشهداني | Information | |
| Abu Abdul Qadr al-Eissawi | ابو عبد القادر العيساوي | Martyrs and Prisoners Affairs | |
| Abu Ahmed al-Janabi | ابو احمد الجنابي | Oil | |
| Mustafa al-A’araji | مصطفى الاعرجي | Agriculture and Fisheries | |
| Abu Abdullah al-Zabadi | ابو عبد الله الزيدي | Health |
These are apparently all noms de guerre.
Source
- ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/10/AR2006091001204.html?nav=rss_email/components Washington Post, 9/11, 2006 Situation Called Dire in West Iraq
- ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/27/AR2006112701287.html 11/28, 2006 Washington Post, Anbar Picture Grows Clearer, and Bleaker
- ^ http://onthescene.msnbc.com/baghdad/2006/12/reporting_under.html#posts
- ^ http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/01/17/32969.aspx
- ^ Iraqi ministry: Militant leader arrested in Baghdad, CNN. March 9, 2007
- ^ "Captured Iraqi not al-Baghdadi", Al Jazeera, March 10, 2007.
- ^ SITE Institute: Islamic State of Iraq Announces Establishment of the Cabinet of its First Islamic Administration in Video Issued Through al-Furqan Foundation. Version of 2007-APR-19. Retrieved 2007-APR-20.
- ^ The initial version of the events at Taji, as given by the Iraqi Interior Ministry, was a shootout between rival Sunni militias. Coalition and Iraqi government operations were apparently conducted in the same area about the same time, and later sources implied they were directly involved, with al-Jabouri being killed "resisting arrest". See the al-Baghdadi article for details and sources.