Hamas of Iraq

Infobox_Political_Party
party_name = Hamas Iraq
rtl- _ar. حماس العراق
colorcode = #008000
party_
leader = Unknown
foundation = 2007
founder = Unknown
ideology = Sunni Iraqi Nationalists
headquarters = Unknown
international = None Known
members = Iraq Sunnis

Hamas Iraq (Arabic حماس العراق) is a Sunni militia group based in Iraq, which broke off from the 1920 Revolution Brigade on March 18, 2007. The group has claimed to have released videos of its attack on US troops. [ [http://siteinstitute.org/bin/articles.cgi?ID=publications271907&Category=publications&Subcategory=0 SITE Publications: Rival groups claim success in shooting down US helicopter] ] The 1920 Revolution Brigade insists that Hamas Iraq was involved in assisting US troops in their recent Diyala operations against Al-Qaeda in Iraq. [http://uruknet.info/?p=m35715&s1=h1 Iraqi Resistance Report for events of Sunday, 26 August 2007] ] [http://www.islammemo.cc/article1.aspx?id=49719 1920 Revolution Brigade memo denying involvement in Diyala Operations] ] Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has feared the US-armed 'concerned local citizens' are an armed Sunni opposition in the making, and has argued that such groups should be under the command of the Iraqi Army or police. [ [http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iMzKGlyT_ahqRjtyXrAUrKIQLncA US buys 'concerned citizens' in Iraq, but at what price?] ] On October 11, 2007 the militia group joined a political council that embraced armed resistance against American occupation. [ [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071011/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_insurgents Iraq insurgent groups form one council] ]

Political program

Hamas Iraq broke off from the 1920 Revolution Brigade on March 18, 2007. [ [http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP155907 Iraqi Jihad Group Establishes New Political Framework called ‘Hamas-Iraq’] ]

Hamas Iraq released a political program in April 2007 with some of the following provisions [ [http://abuaardvark.typepad.com/abuaardvark/2007/04/hamas_iraq_poli.html Abu Aardvark: Iraq insurgency developments] ] :
*"The movement believes in armed jihad as a means for expelling the occupier, and calls on public opinion and agencies and international institutions to respect this right... of all peoples to resist occupation, and to distinguish between that and armed crimes which target innocent civilians."
*"We believe in a necessary link between military efforts and political action as two mutually supportive instruments for achieving the goals of resistance for liberation and salvation and preventing the fundamentalist movements from harvesting the fruits of the resistance."
*"We confirm the necessity of continuing the killing until the exit of the last soldier from the occupying armies, and to not negotiate with the enemy except with an agreement of the factions of the jihad and the Iraqi resistance; and under the appropriate circumstances and conditions."

In July 2007, "The Guardian" reported that the group participated with other insurgent groups in an alliance called the Political Council for the Iraqi Resistance, which includes a range of Islamist and nationalist-leaning groups which was formed to negotiate with the Americans in anticipation of an early US withdrawal. Main planks of the joint political program included a commitment to free Iraq from foreign troops, rejection of cooperation with parties involved in political institutions set up under the occupation and a declaration that decisions and agreements made by the US occupation and Iraqi government are null and void." [http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2129675,00.html Insurgents form political front to plan for US pullout] ]

Operations in Diyala in August of 2007

The 1920 Revolution Brigades insists that Hamas Iraq was involved in assisting US troops in their recent Diyala operations against al-Qaeda in Iraq in August 2007.

The insistences comes after "The Washington Post" reported that, per telephone interview with Lt. Col. Joseph Davidson, executive officer of the 2nd Infantry Division, U.S. forces were now "partnering with Sunni insurgents from the 1920 Revolution Brigades, which includes former members of ousted president Saddam Hussein's disbanded army." Citation | title = U.S. rebrands Iraq ex-insurgents | newspaper = Washington Post | date = 2007-08-25 | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/25/AR2007082500638.html] The 1920 Revolution Brigades replied that: “We say to … the occupation and to your followers and agents that you made a very big lie” in linking us with the Diyala anti-al Qaida campaign. [ [http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/17302.html Offensives elsewhere, but Baghdad remains deadliest for U.S. troops] ] The group maintains that the organization to which the US military spokesman referred should have been the "Iraqi Hamas" organization, which consisted of members who left the Brigades before the Diyala operations.

Footnotes

External links

Organization links

* [http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP155907 Iraqi Jihad Group Establishes New Political Framework called ‘Hamas-Iraq’] - document detailing the creation of Hamas Iraq
* [http://www.ikhwan.net/vb/showthread.php?t=36095. Ikhwan: First Hamas Iraq magazine]

Purported attacks

* [http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=876_1188256157 Hamas Iraq attack on American Hummer]
* [http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2ec_1188198343 Hamas Iraq using two IED's against Hummer and utilitary vechicle in Diyala]

Denial of working with coalition forces

* [http://abuaardvark.typepad.com/abuaardvark/2007/04/hamas_iraq_deni.html Hamas Iraq denies negotiations]
* [http://uruknet.info/?p=m38685&s1=h1 American site publishes false news about the Iraqi resistance]

Other links

* [http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=47180 DefenseLink: Tribal Leaders in Diyala Province Band Together] - US Army article discussing which details possible cooperation between Hamas-Iraq and US military.
* [http://www.ikhwanweb.com/Article.asp?ID=660&LevelID=2&SectionID=142 Mursi: No Relation Between MB And Hamas Iraq] - document denying a connection between the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas Iraq.