Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades
Table of contents
- 1. Organizational History
- 2. Structure
- 3. Arsenal
- 4. Funding
- 5. Recruitment
- 6. Tactics
- 7. Subgroups
- 8. Gallery
- 9. References
Status: Active AKA: AAMB; Al Aqsa Brigades, Martyr Yasser Arafat; Al Aqsa Martyrs Battalion, Kata'ib Shuhada al-Aqsa, THe Brigades Formed: 2000 Areas of Operation: Ireland (leading member of the AAMB, Abu Udai, aka Jihad Jara, was exiled to the UK)[1]; Israel, Palestinian territories Headquarters: West Bank, Israel Ideology: Nationalist (Islamic), Religious Group: 2,000 members Leader: No known leader[2] Group Affiliations: Al-Ahrar al Jalil, HAMAS, Hezbollah, Fatah, Force 17, Fatah Tanzim, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) RSS:
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Organizational History
The al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade group’s primary objective is to forcibly remove Israelis from the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Jerusalem. As a Palestinian nationalist organization, al-Aqsa does not seek to create an Islamic state; it does, however, use Islamic themes in its campaign.
The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, headquartered in the West Bank, began in 2000 as an offshoot of Fatah. The formation of the organization was encouraged by the higher echelons of the Palestinian Authority who recognized that it would be impossible to contend with local Islamist forces, embodied by the groups HAMAS and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, without fielding its own group that acted on religious rhetoric while staying close to nationalist goals. The group’s name refers to the al-Aqsa Mosque, located on the contested holy site in Jerusalem known by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and by Jews as the Temple Mount. The Brigades publicized their presence in January 2001 with the murder of Hisham Miki, the head of the Television Authority in Gaza. However, it was the interplay between Israel counter-terror measures and the group’s reaction that gained them a particularly notorious reputation. In January 2002, when Israel violated a ceasefire agreement and killed Fatah’s leader in Tulkarem, Ra’id al-Karmi, the Brigades retaliated with its first suicide bombing.[3] Since then the Brigades have rivaled the more experienced HAMAS and Palestinian Islamic Jihad and have been one of the driving forces behind the current Palestinian intifada. In March 2002, the State Department added the group to the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations. Operations and violent incidents committed by the group have been inconsistent over the past few years as HAMAS became a powerful actor in the autonomous Palestinian nation. In 2007, HAMAS began governing the Gaza Strip and attacks against Israel increased substantially, although only two years later they entered into a ceasefire agreement with the Israeli government, and incidents subsequently dropped. Due to Israeli incursions into the West Bank and Gaza, as well as targeted attacks on al-Aqsa members, it is plausible that violence will become more intense in the future.
Structure
The group is cellular; it is distinguished from previous organizations under the command of Fatah in that it was formed as a part of the Fatah structure, rather than a separate organization formed with Fatah assistance. The Brigades can be described as a Fatah terrorist unit that operates under Fatah’s direction; however, the Brigades are known to conduct freelance activity not sanctioned by Fatah. The Brigades have formed specialized cells, in particular a female suicide squad, named after Wafa Idris (the first female suicide bomber used by the Brigades), that is charged with recruiting, training, and directing female suicide bombers.
Arsenal
Funding
The monthly Palestinian publication Al-Hal quoted a senior security source as saying that financial records, which the Palestinian security authorities have been monitoring for years, show that Hezbollah made monthly financial transfers to bank accounts of al-Aqsa Brigades members. Hezbollah reportedly transfers monthly sums ranging from $5,000 to $8,000 each month to active cells.[4] According to the National Counterterrorism Center, some media outlets have reported that Iran has offered various forms of support to the Brigades in the past.
Recruitment
Tactics
The Brigade’s primary tactics are suicide bombings and armed assaults; the former are preferred for their effectiveness and shock value. During the group’s initial period of activity, it almost exclusively targeted Israeli government troops and settlers in the “occupied territories”; this targeting strategy has expanded to include Israelis outside of the territories as well as public businesses and transportation. The Brigades bombings and other violent tactics have become more deadly, indicating an improvement in tactical efficiency and an evolving modus operandi.
Subgroups
- Balatah Refugee Camp Martyrs Unit
- Danish Extension
- Jenin Group
- Martyr Ayman Jidah Groups
- Martyr Salih Nassar Unit
- Misbah Mahamid Group
- Nabil Masud Unit
- Omar Bin al Khattab Brigades
- Yasser Arafat Martyr Brigades
Gallery
| AAMB members posted on rooftops in Gaza City as thousands of Fatah supporters rally to protest corruption in the Palestinian National Authority in July 2004.[6]
| Image depicts female members of the AAMB, participating in a news conference in Gaza in May 2007, who are willing to become suicide bombers.[7] | Members of the AAMB, armed with automatic weapons and explosives belts, engage in a rally with other protesters.[8] |
| An AAMB member is injured while the group demonstrates their combat skills in front of a rally of people at the Khan Younis refugee camp in Gaza in May 2005.[9] | Image depicts AAMB members carrying M4s with M203s during a rally in support of President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank in December 2006.[10] | Members of AAMB (validity of information unknown) - pictured from left to right: Mahmoud Hatem, Abdul Moussa, Yasir Bargouti, Samir Mahar (in front), Moustafa Houk, Nasser al-Sheik.[11] |
