Islamic Army in Iraq
The Islamic Army in Iraq (Al jaish al islami fil Irak) is one of a number of underground Islamist militant, or mujaheddin, organizations formed in Iraq following the 2003 invasion of Iraq by U.S. and allied military forces and the subsequent collapse of the Baathist government headed by Saddam Hussein.
Accoring to Atmane Tazaghart and Roland Jacquard, in the French Figaro magazine, it has been founded by Abu Abdallah Hassan Ben Mahmoud on the 29th of Septembre 2003, and is composed by internationalist salafist islamists, former baasists and also former militants of the Palestine Liberation Front of Abu Abbas.
The Islamic Army in Iraq, ideologically related to al Qaida and the Wahabi school, was responsible for the abduction of the following persons who were released unharmed:
- Iranian Consul Feredion Jahani;
- Georges Malbrunot, 41, and Christian Chesnot, 37, French journalists;
- Marwan Ibrahim Kassar and Mohammed Jawdat Hussein, Lebanese electrical workers.
The Islamic Army in Iraq is believed responsible for the execution of the following persons:
- Enzo Baldoni, Italian journalist killed on or about August 26, 2004;
- Raja Azad, 49, engineer, and Sajad Naeem, 29, his driver, Pakistani nationals working in Iraq for a Kuwaiti-based firm killed on or about July 28, 2004;
- Dalibor Lazarevski, Dragan Markovic, and Zoran Naskovski, Macedonian nationals working for United Arab Emirates-based Soufan Engineering on contracts and subcontracts for the U.S. military and its private contractors. They were seized in August 2004 and the Macedonian government confirmed their execution by October 21, 2004. Receipt of videos depicting two beheadings were announced, but not broadcast, on Al Jazeera TV on October 17, 2004.
In addition, the Islamic Army in Iraq claimed responsibility for the September 1, 2004 assassination attempt against Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi, leader of the Iraqi National Congress, in which two of his bodyguards were killed, two were wounded and two remain missing. The Islamic Army of Iraq admitted capturing one of Chalabi's bodyguards. Chalabi escaped unharmed.
On 22 April, this terrorist organization released a video of their members murdering an American civilian who survived their downing of a civilian owned helicopter. Despite the fact that the man was wounded and asked for assistance (which should be provided to POWs under international law), the terrorists shot him to death while chanting "Allahu akbar!" or "God is great!"
The IAI is one of the Iraqi insurgency groups that have threatened retaliation against the United States itself.