Osbat al-Ansar
Encyclopedia
Osbat al-Ansar or Asbat an-Ansar (League of the Partisans) is a Lebanon
-based Sunni fundamentalist group established in the early 1990s which professes the Salifi form of Islam and the overthrow of the Lebanese-dominated secular government. The organization is largely based in Ain al-Hilweh
.
Osbat al-Ansar 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
, and has been proscribed as a terrorist group by Australia
, the United Nations
, the United Kingdom
and Canada
.
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 Tariq. Osbat al-Ansar is estimated to have between 100 and 200 members, mostly Lebanese, Palestinians and Syrians living in Ain al-Hilweh.
The group professes the Salifi form of Islam
.
n Embassy in Beirut in January 2000. Osbat al-Ansar’s leader, Abu Muhjin, remains at large despite being sentenced to death in absentia for the murder in 1994 of a Muslim cleric.
Osbat al-Ansar gained public interest in Lebanon after members assassinated the head of al-Ahbash
in January 1995. Khaled Hamed, Ahmed Al-Kassem and Mounir Abboud three members of Osbat al-Ansar were hung after being convicted by Lebanese authorities of the murder.
Members of Osbat al-Ansar shot and killed five judges on June 8, 1999 in the city of Sidon
. The assassins survived and escaped back to Ain al-Hilweh. On September 8, 1999, the custom office in Sidon was bombed; on January 3, 2000, Russia
n embassy in Beirut
was attacked by a rocket-propelled grenade in protest of the Russian military campaign in Chechnya
; a church was bombed in Sidon on October 17, 2001. The group is also believed to be responsible for the November 21, 2002 murder of US missionary
Bonnie Witherall in Sidon.
In 2003, suspected Osbat al-Ansar elements were responsible for the attempt in April to use a car bomb against a McDonald’s in a Beirut suburb. By October, Lebanese security forces arrested Ibn al-Shahid, who is believed to be associated with Osbat al-Ansar, and charged him with masterminding the bombing of three fast food restaurants in 2002 and the attempted attack in April 2003 on the McDonald’s. Osbat forces were involved in other violence in Lebanon in 2003, including clashes with members of Yassir Arafat’s Fatah
movement in the ‘Ayn al-Hilwah refugee camp and a rocket attack in June on the Future TV building in Beirut.
According to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation
Osbat al-Ansar is planning future terrorist attacks.
for planning terrorist acts, illegal dealing in weapons of war and discharging firearms.
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
-based Sunni fundamentalist group established in the early 1990s which professes the Salifi form of Islam and the overthrow of the Lebanese-dominated secular government. The organization is largely based in Ain al-Hilweh
Ain al-Hilweh
Ain al-Hilweh is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon with over 70,000 refugees, located on the outskirts of the port of Sidon. Because Lebanese Armed Forces are not allowed to enter the camp Ain al-Hilweh has been called a "zone of unlaw" by the Lebanese media...
.
Osbat al-Ansar is on the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' list of terrorist organizations for alleged connections with Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
's al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
, 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
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh was a Jordanian militant Islamist who ran a paramilitary training camp in Afghanistan...
, and has been proscribed as a terrorist group by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Osbat al-Ansar is also connected with fundamentalist groups Osbat al-Nour
Osbat al-Nour
Osbat al-Nour is an extreme militant group that professes allegiance to the Salafi form of Islam.-Ain al-Hilweh 2003:In May of 2003 fighting broke out between members of Osbat al-Nour and Fatah militia members in the south Lebanon Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh after the near-fatal...
, Jund Ash Sham
Jund Ash Sham
Jund Ash Sham aka Jund al-Sham is an anti-Fatah Sunni Muslim group formed in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh in 2004 and is considered a splinter group of Osbat al-Nour...
, the Dinniyeh Group
Dinniyeh Group
The Dinniyeh Group was a group of 200-300 Islamist militants led by Bassam Ahmad Kanj. In January 2000 The Dinniyeh Group launched a failed attempt to create an Islamist mini-state in northern Lebanon...
and Takfir wal Hijra. Ahmed Abd al-Karim al-Saadi
Ahmed Abd al-Karim al-Saadi
Ahmed Abd al-Karim al-Saadi aka Abu Mohjen is a Palestinian who became the leader of Osbat al-Ansar in 1991 after founder Sheik Hisham Shreidi was killed by Fatah rivals. Abu Mohjen is believed to have been behind the transformation of Osbat al-Ansar from a Palestinian-centered militant group...
is the ostensible leader of the group; however, since he went into hiding in 1999, the group has been led by his brother Abu Tariq. Osbat al-Ansar is estimated to have between 100 and 200 members, mostly Lebanese, Palestinians and Syrians living in Ain al-Hilweh.
Ideology
According to the Australian Government and the Canadian Government the goal of Osbat al-Ansar is "the establishment of a radical Sunni Islamic state in Lebanon." as well as "Overthrowing the Lebanese government and preventing what they perceive as anti-Sunni Islamic influences in Lebanon".The group professes the Salifi form of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
.
Activities
Osbat al-Ansar has carried out multiple terrorist attacks in Lebanon since it first emerged in the early 1990s. The group assassinated Lebanese religious leaders and bombed nightclubs, theaters, and liquor stores in the mid-1990s. The group raised its operational profile in 2000 with two attacks against Lebanese and international targets. It was involved in clashes in northern Lebanon in December 1999 and carried out a rocket-propelled grenade attack on the RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Embassy in Beirut in January 2000. Osbat al-Ansar’s leader, Abu Muhjin, remains at large despite being sentenced to death in absentia for the murder in 1994 of a Muslim cleric.
Osbat al-Ansar gained public interest in Lebanon after members assassinated the head of al-Ahbash
Al-Ahbash
Al-Ahbash, also known as The Abash, Habashis, Jam'iyyat al- Mashari' al-Khayriyya al-Islamiyya and "جمعية المشاريع الخيرية الإسلامية" is a religious sect and political party in Lebanon...
in January 1995. Khaled Hamed, Ahmed Al-Kassem and Mounir Abboud three members of Osbat al-Ansar were hung after being convicted by Lebanese authorities of the murder.
Members of Osbat al-Ansar shot and killed five judges on June 8, 1999 in the city of Sidon
Sidon
Sidon or Saïda is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate of Lebanon, on the Mediterranean coast, about 40 km north of Tyre and 40 km south of the capital Beirut. In Genesis, Sidon is the son of Canaan the grandson of Noah...
. The assassins survived and escaped back to Ain al-Hilweh. On September 8, 1999, the custom office in Sidon was bombed; on January 3, 2000, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n embassy in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
was attacked by a rocket-propelled grenade in protest of the Russian military campaign in Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
; a church was bombed in Sidon on October 17, 2001. The group is also believed to be responsible for the November 21, 2002 murder of US missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
Bonnie Witherall in Sidon.
In 2003, suspected Osbat al-Ansar elements were responsible for the attempt in April to use a car bomb against a McDonald’s in a Beirut suburb. By October, Lebanese security forces arrested Ibn al-Shahid, who is believed to be associated with Osbat al-Ansar, and charged him with masterminding the bombing of three fast food restaurants in 2002 and the attempted attack in April 2003 on the McDonald’s. Osbat forces were involved in other violence in Lebanon in 2003, including clashes with members of Yassir Arafat’s Fatah
Fatah
Fataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
movement in the ‘Ayn al-Hilwah refugee camp and a rocket attack in June on the Future TV building in Beirut.
According to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation is Australia's national security service, which is responsible for the protection of the country and its citizens from espionage, sabotage, acts of foreign interference, politically-motivated violence, attacks on the Australian defence system, and...
Osbat al-Ansar is planning future terrorist attacks.
Other actions by Osbat al-Ansar
In 2002 a representative of Osbat al-Ansar handed over Badieh Hamadeh, a shiite living in Ain al-Hilweh suspected of killing three Lebanese soldiers, to Lebanese authorities. A spokesman for Osbat al-Ansar stated that the decision to make the hand over was to "spare the camp any bloodshed".Prevented attacks
In 2001 Daniel Ahmad Samarji, and Bilal Ali Othman, were arrested in the northern city of TripoliTripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
for planning terrorist acts, illegal dealing in weapons of war and discharging firearms.