Free Iraqi Army

The Free Iraqi Army (Arabic: الجيش العراقي الحر, Al-Jayš Al-‘Irāqī Al-Ḥurr, FIA) was a Sunni rebel group formed in the western Sunni-majority provinces of Iraq from Iraqi supporters of the Free Syrian Army rebels fighting in the Syrian Civil War.[3] The group aimed to overthrow the Shia-dominated government of Iraq,[4] believing that they would gain support in this from Syria should the rebels be successful in overthrowing Bashar al-Assad.[5][6] An Iraqi counterterror spokesman denied this, saying that the name is merely being used by al-Qaeda in Iraq to "attract the support of the Iraqi Sunnis by making use of the strife going on in Syria."[7]

Free Iraqi Army
الجيش العراقي الحر
Dates of operation19 July 2012–1 August 2014
MotivesEstablishment of a Sunni state in Iraq
Active regionsIraq
Size2,500+[1]
Allies Naqshbandi Army

Al-Qaeda (Alleged, denied)
SCJL

MCIR
Anbar Tribal Councils
Free Syrian Army
OpponentsIraq Republic of Iraq

 Iran

 Syria[2]
Mukhtar Army
 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (sometimes)

Special Groups
Battles and warsIraqi insurgency
Websitehttps://www.facebook.com/freeiraqiarmypage

Aside from Anbar Province, the FIA reportedly had a presence in Fallujah, along the Syrian border near the town of Al-Qaim, and in Mosul in the north of Iraq. A recruiting commander for the group told a reporter from The Daily Star newspaper in Lebanon that the group was opposed to both Al-Qaeda in Iraq and their opponents in the Sahwa militia. The same commander claimed that the group received financial support from cross-border tribal extensions and Sunni sympathizers in the Persian gulf states of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.[5]

On 4 February 2013, Wathiq al-Batat of the Shiite militant group Hezbollah in Iraq, announced the formation of the Mukhtar Army to fight against al-Qaeda and the Free Iraqi Army.[8] In August 2014, the group became defunct, after a large offensive by ISIL in northern Iraq, with activity on their websites ceasing.

History

Despite the group's denial of links to al-Qaeda, the group had been accused of being affiliated with the group.[9] These accusations of links with both al-Qaeda and the Ba'athists led to a Najaf Shiite figure associated with the State of Law Coalition issuing a fatwa against supplying the group with weapons.[10]

See also

References
  1. "How Syria's civil war is spilling over". Al Jazeera English. Archived from the original on 2015-12-26. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
  2. "Free Iraqi Army inspired by Syria war | News , Middle East | THE DAILY STAR". Archived from the original on 2018-10-14. Retrieved 2012-12-30.
  3. "INSIGHT: Iraq's Tensions Heightened by Syria Conflict". Middle East Voices (VOA). 29 November 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  4. "Syrian Soldiers Killed In Iraq: Reports". RTT News. 4 March 2013. Archived from the original on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  5. "Free Iraqi Army inspired by Syria war". The Daily Star (Lebanon). 10 November 2012. Archived from the original on 14 October 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  6. "Iraqis locked in rival sectarian narratives". BBC News. 21 November 2012. Archived from the original on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  7. "Al-Qaida making comeback in Iraq, officials say". The Guardian. 9 October 2012. Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  8. "Briefing: A guide to defusing sectarian tensions in Iraq". IRIN. 13 February 2013. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  9. "Syrian War's Spillover Threatens a Fragile Iraq". The New York Times. 26 February 2013. Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  10. عضو في الدفاع النيابية: الجيش العراقي الحر إسم آخر لتنظيم القاعدة (in Arabic). Iraqi Communist Party. 20 December 2012. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
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