Osbat al-Ansar
Osbat al-Ansar or Asbat an-Ansar (Arabic: عصبة الأنصار, romanized: ʿUṣbat al-ʾAnṣār, "League of the Partisans") is a Sunni fundamentalist group established in the early 1990s, with a primary base of operations in the Palestinian camp of Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp near Sidon, which claims professing the Salafi form of Islam and the overthrow of the Lebanese-dominated secular government.
| League of the Partisans عصبة الأنصار Osbat al-Ansar | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Hisham Shreidi (1986–1991) Ahmed Abd al-Karim al-Saadi (1991–1999) Abu Tarek al-Saadi (1999–present) |
| Dates of operation | 1994–present |
| Motives | The creation of an Islamic state in Lebanon |
| Active regions | Lebanon |
| Ideology | Salafi Islamism Jihadism Sunni Islamism |
| Major actions | Assassinations, Bombings |
| Status | Designated as a terrorist group by Australia, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Nations |
It has been designated as a terrorist group by the Bahrain, United Nations, Canada, Kazakhstan, Russia, the UAE, the United Kingdom and the United States. It is on the United States' list of terrorist organizations for alleged connections with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda, and the American administration decided to freeze all assets of Osbat al-Ansar following the attacks on September 11th, 2001. The group has reportedly received funding from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Osbat al-Ansar is also connected with fundamentalist groups Osbat al-Nour, Jund Ash Sham, the Dinniyeh Group and Takfir wal Hijra. Ahmed Abd al-Karim al-Saadi is the ostensible leader of the group; however, since he went into hiding in 1999, the group has been led by his brother Abu Tarek al-Saadi. Osbat al-Ansar is estimated to have less than 2000 members, mostly Lebanese, with a primary base of operations in the Ain al-Hilwah refugee camp near Sidon in southern Lebanon.