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image located by William Garrison, 29 September 2014
Kata'ib al-Hamza ("The Hamza Battalions"). c. August 2014
A Sunni-Muslim militia operating near the city of Haditha in the Anbar province of
Iraq. This militia is opposed to the "Islamic State" (IS/ISIS/ISIL). The Sunni
themselves are divided as to how "harsh" Sunni-Islam should be interpreted and
enforced. The Sunni-IS is well known for a brand of puritanical Wahhabi-Islam (including
the beheading Shia/Shiite captives and Western journalists), but some "moderate"
Sunni are not enthralled with the callousness of the Sunni-IS: which is opposed
to Syria Pres. Assad (who is a Shia-Alawite Muslim, and who is supported by the
Shia-government of Iran).
Although the pro-Sunni Kata'ib al-Hamza is opposed to the pro-Sunni IS, this
doesn't necessarily mean that the Kata'ib al-Hamza is cooperating with the
current Shia-dominated government of Iraq.
Info from "Gloria Center" MERIA Journal Vol. 18, No. 3 (Fall 2014)
KATA’IB AL-HAMZA IN IRAQ
The group Kata’ib al-Hamza (“The Hamza Battalions”) was first rumored to be in
the works in Anbar in mid-August by police colonel Ahmed Shufir. Speaking to
Agence France-Presse, he suggested that the group was based in the western Anbar
town of Haditha, which still remains in government control,[29] and that they
were fighting to keep out militants to the west of the town. The group was then
formally announced at the end of the month by Muhammad al-Dulaimi, acting as
spokesman for Kata’ib al-Hamza. He explained to the local Iraqi media outlet
al-Mada Press that “a number of Anbar tribes have formed today Kata’ib al-Hamza
to make war on the IS organization and cleanse out the Western areas from
al-Qa’im district on the border up to the town of Fallujah.” He also clarified
that the force was under the “control of the state and the law, with its
obligation to support the forces of the army and the police in military
operations and assaulting the dens of terrorism.”[30]
Like Harakat Ahrar al-Mosul, Kata’ib al-Hamza ostensibly professes an
anti-sectarian line and does not necessarily identify with government policies.
In an interview, a media representative affirmed: “We are a tribal force against
the sectarian program the government practices and against what the takfiri IS
practice…We are not affiliated with anyone. We are not affiliated with the
government or Osama [Nujaifi] but we stand with them against IS.”[31] At the
same time, the representative was realistic about numbers and scale of
operations: “Now the number of fighters is 180 and we have begun simple
operations against IS.” The representative dismissed the notion that Kata’ib
al-Hamza was working with JRTN against IS: “They are the ones who deluded people
with IS and began [working] with IS but afterwards disagreements arose between
them and no one except IS has remained in the field.”[32]
From the evidence gleaned so far, Kata’ib al-Hamza’s self-reporting on its
activities corroborates the original account to Agence France-Presse of an
outfit based in Haditha[33] (and fitting in with the small number of fighters
claimed in the interview with this author), rather than one stretching across
Anbar. Elsewhere in the west of Anbar–specifically the localities of al-Qa’im,[34]
Anah,[35] Rawa,[36] Rutba,[37] the only identifiable armed group is IS. In
Fallujah city, IS has gradually subsumed other factions–including Jaysh
al-Mujahideen and JRTN, through a mixture of co-optation and coercion.[38]
Further east of Fallujah, in the locality of al-Karma, IS forced Jaysh
al-Mujahideen to withdraw from the urban area following an attack on the
latter’s positions and tribal mediation.[39] Where areas are still heavily
contested with government-aligned forces (e,g. Ramadi), much of the fighting is
with IS, though other groups seem to be involved as well, including the General
Military Council for Iraq’s Revolutionaries[40] and the Islamic Army of Iraq.
William Garrison, 29 September 2014
This group named after
Hamza Ali Al-Khateeb.
Because
I've seen many current fighting
military formations and many of them have the name "Khateeb" and "Hamza" in it, in
honour of this boy:
- Hamzah Al-Khateeb Battalion
- Brigade of the Martyr Hamza al-Khatib
- Hamza Brigade
- Hamza Bin Abdul Muttalib Brigade
- Hamza al-Ansar Brigade
Esteban Rivera, 30 September 2014
Their green-white flag shows two weapons crossed and superimposed on a map of
Iraq. On the flag, one weapon is obviously an AK-47, while the other weapon
appears to be either a machine-gun or a medium-caliber anti-tank rifle (which is
shown on the ground in front of their flag).
William Garrison, 29 September 2014
Also, their logo can be seen
here.
Source: http://israelagainstterror.blogspot.com/
Their flag is also featured
here.
Source: http://israelagainstterror.blogspot.com/
This is the flag
most likely submitted (cropped) by William Garrison
Esteban Rivera, 30 September 2014