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Al-Qaeda Uses Jaish al-Mahdi to Gain Control over Helmand Province
Waliullah Rahmani, Jamestown Foundation Global Terrorism Analysis, 24 Oct 07
Article link
A movement called Jaish al-Mahdi (The Army of the Mahdi) has emerged in Afghanistan. The leader of Afghanistan's Jaish al-Mahdi is Abu Haris, an Arab commander who fought during the anti-Soviet jihad in eastern Afghanistan (Weesa, September 19). Afghanistan's newly established Jaish al-Mahdi is a combination of Arab and Afghan fighters. In a statement, the movement noted that at its outset Jaish al-Mahdi enjoyed the support of 250 Arab and Afghan fighters, although it is still ambiguous as to which jihadi party these fighters were involved in during the Afghan wars. Today, the group has been attempting to recruit Afghan youth to help undertake operations and participate in what Abu Haris calls the "jihad in Afghanistan" (Pajhwak Afghan News, August 16).
The army's self-proclaimed leader, Abu Haris, is an Arab fighter who was on the side of the resistance against the Soviets in Paktia province. He is allegedly Syrian, and for many years has been active in different parts of Afghanistan (Pajhwak Afghan News, August 16). A high-ranking Taliban official, who declined to be named, said that those gathered under the leadership of Abu Haris are all close friends (Pajhwak Afghan News, August 16). Some al-Qaeda personnel speaking to Pajhwak Afghan News acknowledged the formation of Jaish al-Mahdi and denied any differences between the group and al-Qaeda, claiming that they cooperated with each other fully.
The desolate and largely lawless region of Helmand province, the former main base of al-Qaeda in the Afghan-Pakistani border's Paktia province, and the Pakistani territory of Waziristan are the areas that the Jaish al-Mahdi leader claimed as the fields of jihad against NATO-led forces and the Afghan government (Weesa, September 19). Of the areas that Jaish al-Mahdi has announced as their battlefields, Helmand province is the only place where Arab personnel of al-Qaeda have not held sway. Therefore, Jaish al-Mahdi's Arab fighters' activities in Helmand would indicate an attempt to insert Arab insurgents into an area that has not traditionally been one of their strongholds. Nevertheless, since the surge of violence in 2004, al-Qaeda elements have been active under Mustafa Abu al-Yazid throughout the country, and in Kunar province some Arab fighters are operating under the supervision of Abu Ikhlas al-Misri.
It is also unique that the group, which is believed to be Sunni, chose the name "Jaish al-Mahdi," as the "Mahdi" is more prominent in Shiism. However, it is unlikely that this would be a Shiite group operating in concert with al-Qaeda and in that region of Afghanistan. Additionally, the idea of the Mahdi does fit into Sunni religious thought.
New jihadi group will put Arabs in Helmand
United Press International, 24 Oct 07
Article link - Permalink (.pdf)
A new insurgent group has emerged in Afghanistan, bringing significant numbers of Arab jihadists into the country’s Helmand province.
An analysis from the Jamestown Foundation said Wednesday the new group is called Jaish al-Mahdi, or the Army of the Mahdi, and that its self-proclaimed leader is an Arab, thought to be Syrian, known as Abu Haris, a veteran of the jihad against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s.
The think tank says the group appears to have about 250 fighters, both Afghan and Arab, but that it is unclear which group or groups with which they were formerly associated.
Taliban and al-Qaida officials told the Pajhwok Afghan News agency that they were aware of the new group’s activities and regarded it as friendly, the Jamestown analysis said.
Haris fought in Paktia province against the Soviets, but local media reports since the summer quote him as saying that the new group will operate there, in the Pakistani tribal area of North Waziristan and in Helmand.
“Jaish al-Mahdi's Arab fighters' activities in Helmand would indicate an attempt to insert Arab insurgents into an area that has not traditionally been one of their strongholds,” reads the Jamestown analysis, written by Afghan journalist Waliullah Rahmani.
Jaish al-Mahdi in Afghanistan Presents a Video of a Joint Operation with al-Qaeda in a Rocket Attack on American Posts in Paktia Province
SITE Institute, 12 Jul 06
[http://milnewstbay.pbwiki.com/f/JAM-Afghanistan-Video-JointOp-AQ-July2006.pdf=]Article link[/url] (.pdf)
A 30:35 minute video presented by the Information Committee of Jaish al-Mahdi (al-Mahdi Army) in Afghanistan, which concerns a joint operation with al-Qaeda in firing rockets at American posts in Paktia province, was recently distributed to password-protected al-Qaeda affiliated forums. The attack is dated February 2006, and the video shows the Mujahideen receiving instructions from their emir, traveling to their battle location amidst snow and trees, setting up the rocket launcher, and launching the projectiles as a helicopter is seen patrolling the area. A report contained with the film states that as a result of the operation, five military cars were set ablaze and “more than a few” American soldiers were killed. In addition, the posts occupied by the enemy were purportedly abandoned due to the strike, and the Mujahideen walk into this base and survey it before they withdraw.
According to chatter on a jihadist forum, Jaish al-Mahdi in Afghanistan is a Sunni group with no affiliation to Shi’ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s militia in Iraq. It was formed by Abu Abdul Rahman al-Kendi AKA Ahmed Saeed Khadr ** following the collapse and withdrawal of the Taliban from Afghanistan.
** - POSTER'S NOTE: Google shows this is the name of Omar Khadr's father, but there's nothing I can find in open sources confirming it's the same guy who was killed in October 2003 in Pakistan, in the Wana tribal area.
Al-Qaeda Uses Jaish al-Mahdi to Gain Control over Helmand Province
Waliullah Rahmani, Jamestown Foundation Global Terrorism Analysis, 24 Oct 07
Article link
A movement called Jaish al-Mahdi (The Army of the Mahdi) has emerged in Afghanistan. The leader of Afghanistan's Jaish al-Mahdi is Abu Haris, an Arab commander who fought during the anti-Soviet jihad in eastern Afghanistan (Weesa, September 19). Afghanistan's newly established Jaish al-Mahdi is a combination of Arab and Afghan fighters. In a statement, the movement noted that at its outset Jaish al-Mahdi enjoyed the support of 250 Arab and Afghan fighters, although it is still ambiguous as to which jihadi party these fighters were involved in during the Afghan wars. Today, the group has been attempting to recruit Afghan youth to help undertake operations and participate in what Abu Haris calls the "jihad in Afghanistan" (Pajhwak Afghan News, August 16).
The army's self-proclaimed leader, Abu Haris, is an Arab fighter who was on the side of the resistance against the Soviets in Paktia province. He is allegedly Syrian, and for many years has been active in different parts of Afghanistan (Pajhwak Afghan News, August 16). A high-ranking Taliban official, who declined to be named, said that those gathered under the leadership of Abu Haris are all close friends (Pajhwak Afghan News, August 16). Some al-Qaeda personnel speaking to Pajhwak Afghan News acknowledged the formation of Jaish al-Mahdi and denied any differences between the group and al-Qaeda, claiming that they cooperated with each other fully.
The desolate and largely lawless region of Helmand province, the former main base of al-Qaeda in the Afghan-Pakistani border's Paktia province, and the Pakistani territory of Waziristan are the areas that the Jaish al-Mahdi leader claimed as the fields of jihad against NATO-led forces and the Afghan government (Weesa, September 19). Of the areas that Jaish al-Mahdi has announced as their battlefields, Helmand province is the only place where Arab personnel of al-Qaeda have not held sway. Therefore, Jaish al-Mahdi's Arab fighters' activities in Helmand would indicate an attempt to insert Arab insurgents into an area that has not traditionally been one of their strongholds. Nevertheless, since the surge of violence in 2004, al-Qaeda elements have been active under Mustafa Abu al-Yazid throughout the country, and in Kunar province some Arab fighters are operating under the supervision of Abu Ikhlas al-Misri.
It is also unique that the group, which is believed to be Sunni, chose the name "Jaish al-Mahdi," as the "Mahdi" is more prominent in Shiism. However, it is unlikely that this would be a Shiite group operating in concert with al-Qaeda and in that region of Afghanistan. Additionally, the idea of the Mahdi does fit into Sunni religious thought.
New jihadi group will put Arabs in Helmand
United Press International, 24 Oct 07
Article link - Permalink (.pdf)
A new insurgent group has emerged in Afghanistan, bringing significant numbers of Arab jihadists into the country’s Helmand province.
An analysis from the Jamestown Foundation said Wednesday the new group is called Jaish al-Mahdi, or the Army of the Mahdi, and that its self-proclaimed leader is an Arab, thought to be Syrian, known as Abu Haris, a veteran of the jihad against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s.
The think tank says the group appears to have about 250 fighters, both Afghan and Arab, but that it is unclear which group or groups with which they were formerly associated.
Taliban and al-Qaida officials told the Pajhwok Afghan News agency that they were aware of the new group’s activities and regarded it as friendly, the Jamestown analysis said.
Haris fought in Paktia province against the Soviets, but local media reports since the summer quote him as saying that the new group will operate there, in the Pakistani tribal area of North Waziristan and in Helmand.
“Jaish al-Mahdi's Arab fighters' activities in Helmand would indicate an attempt to insert Arab insurgents into an area that has not traditionally been one of their strongholds,” reads the Jamestown analysis, written by Afghan journalist Waliullah Rahmani.
Jaish al-Mahdi in Afghanistan Presents a Video of a Joint Operation with al-Qaeda in a Rocket Attack on American Posts in Paktia Province
SITE Institute, 12 Jul 06
[http://milnewstbay.pbwiki.com/f/JAM-Afghanistan-Video-JointOp-AQ-July2006.pdf=]Article link[/url] (.pdf)
A 30:35 minute video presented by the Information Committee of Jaish al-Mahdi (al-Mahdi Army) in Afghanistan, which concerns a joint operation with al-Qaeda in firing rockets at American posts in Paktia province, was recently distributed to password-protected al-Qaeda affiliated forums. The attack is dated February 2006, and the video shows the Mujahideen receiving instructions from their emir, traveling to their battle location amidst snow and trees, setting up the rocket launcher, and launching the projectiles as a helicopter is seen patrolling the area. A report contained with the film states that as a result of the operation, five military cars were set ablaze and “more than a few” American soldiers were killed. In addition, the posts occupied by the enemy were purportedly abandoned due to the strike, and the Mujahideen walk into this base and survey it before they withdraw.
According to chatter on a jihadist forum, Jaish al-Mahdi in Afghanistan is a Sunni group with no affiliation to Shi’ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s militia in Iraq. It was formed by Abu Abdul Rahman al-Kendi AKA Ahmed Saeed Khadr ** following the collapse and withdrawal of the Taliban from Afghanistan.
** - POSTER'S NOTE: Google shows this is the name of Omar Khadr's father, but there's nothing I can find in open sources confirming it's the same guy who was killed in October 2003 in Pakistan, in the Wana tribal area.
