Jamaat Ansar al-Sunna
Jamaat Ansar al-Sunnah (Arabic: جماعة أنصار السنه, romanized: Jama'at 'Anṣār as-Sunnah, lit. 'Assembly of the Helpers of Sunnah'), also known as Jaish Ansar al-Sunna (Army of the Helpers of Sunnah), Ali ibn Abi Talib Battalion or simply as Ansar al-Sunnah was an Iraqi Sunni insurgent group that fought against US troops and their local allies during the Iraq War. The group was primarily based in northern and central Iraq, and included mostly Iraqi (including Arab and Kurdish) fighters. In 2007, it split; with its Kurdish members pledging allegiance to Ansar al-Islam, and its Arab members creating a group called Ansar al-Sunnah Shariah Committee, before changing its name to Ansar al-Ahlu Sunnah in 2011.
| Jamaat Ansar al-Sunna جماعة أنصار السنة | |
|---|---|
| Leaders | Abu Abdullah al-Shafi'i Abu Wayil |
| Dates of operation | September 2003 – December 2007 (Subsequently operated under name of Ansar al-Ahlu Sunnah) |
| Active regions | Iraq (2003-2011) |
| Ideology | Sunni Islamism Sufism |
| Size | 1,000+ |
| Allies | Syria Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order Islamic Army of Iraq Islamic State of Iraq 1920 Revolution Brigade Jaish al-Rashideen Islamic Front for the Iraqi Resistance Hamas of Iraq Jeish Muhammad |
| Opponents | Iraq United States Mahdi Army Iraqi Kurdistan Islamic State of Iraq (2006–2007) |
| Battles and wars | Iraq War |
| Flag | |
The group has been a Proscribed Organisation in the United Kingdom under the Terrorism Act 2000 since 14 October 2005.