Uqba ibn Nafi Brigade
لواء عقبة بن نافع
FoundationMid-2012
Dates of operation2012-Present
Split fromAl-Qaeda in the Maghreb (Pro-IS split)
Allegiance
Ideology
StatusActive
Allies
  • al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb (2012-2014, sometimes)
  • Ansar al-Sharia in Tunsia (2012-2014, sometimes)
  • Islamic State Islamic State Greater Sahara Province (sometimes)
Opponents

The Uqba ibn Nafi Brigade (Arabic: لواء عقبة بن نافع, romanized: Liwāʼ ʻUqbah ibn Nāfiʻ), also known as Katibat Uqba Bin Nafi, is a Tunisian salafi jihadist organization named after Uqba ibn Nafi,[1] it was established in 2012 in order to create Tunisian jihadist group linked to Al-Qaeda In the Maghreb and later, the Islamic State.[2]

History

After its creation in 2012, the group mainly attacked areas of small Tunisian forces in mountainous regions.[3] The group faced a lot of in-fighting after the declaration of a caliphate by the Islamic State and the exaggerations said by the Islamic State about the Islamic States' military campaigns,[4] so in 2014, a branch of the militant group, lead by Abu Sahkr, split from Al-Qaeda and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, and the branch loyal to the Islamic State joined the Islamic States' Greater Sahara Province.[5]

Islamic State controlled Uqba ibn Nafi Brigade

After the branch lead by Abu Sahkr joined and pledged their allegiance to the Islamic State, the newly formed Ifriqiya Media released a statement on behalf of the organization, stating: "The mujahidin brothers in KUBN from the land of al-Qayrawan show support, help, and aid for the Islamic Caliphate State…give victory to the Islamic State, raise its banner and unite the ranks of the mujahideen in every place", which didn't fully represent the whole group, as the statement was in hopes that the rest of the organization would pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and to agitate the organization.[6]

After pledging alliengence to the Islamic State, a year later, 90% of the Uqba Ibn Nafi Brigade's soldiers were killed, according to the Tunisian Interior Minister at the time, Najem Gharselli.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Cody, Edward (2013-06-16). "Tunisia faces political struggle over Islam". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
  2. ↑ Zelin, Aaron Y.; Gartenstein-Ross, Daveed; Lebovich, Andrew (July 23, 2013). "Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb's Tunisia Strategy". The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  3. ↑ Cruickshank, Paul (2015-03-18). "In Tunisia, terror attack undercuts Arab Spring's best prospect". CNN. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
  4. ↑ Gartenstein-Ross, Daveed; Barr, Nathaniel; Moreng, Bridget (2016). "The Islamic State's Global Propaganda Strategy". International Centre for Counter-Terrorism. 1 (1): 65–78. doi:10.19165/2016.1.01. S2CID 4948707.
  5. ↑ Githens-Mazer, Jonathan (2016). "5". Jihadism Transformed: Al-Qaeda and Islamic State's Global Battle of Ideas. Oxford University. pp. 69–88. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190650292.003.0005. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  6. ↑ Zelin, Aaron Y. (2019). "Not Gonna Be Able To Do It: al-Qaeda in Tunisia's Inability to Take Advantage of the Islamic State's Setbacks". Perspectives on Terrorism. 13 (1): 62–76. ISSN 2334-3745. JSTOR 26590509.
  7. ↑ Amara, Tarek (2015-07-13). "Tunisia says almost wipes out al Qaeda group after attacks". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.