Abdullah Azzam Brigades

Publication Date: 
February, 2015

Abdullah Azzam Brigades

Founding Date: 
July, 2009
Founder: 
Salih al-Qar’awi.
HQ: 
Undefined.*****
Origins: 
The founder of the organisation, al-Qar’awi presumably fought along the precursor of al Qaeda in Iraq (now known as the Islamic State), Abû Mus’ab az-Zarqâwî in Fallujah (Iraq) who ordered him to form the Abdullah Azzam Brigades. It is believed, the group was originally formed in the Arabian Peninsula.** The primary task of the group was to hit targets in the Levant and the wider Middle East.*** The group was originally divided into two branches: Yusuf al’Uyayri Battalions based in the Arabian Peninsula and Ziyad al-Jarrah Battalions in Lebanon. As argued by the founder, creating the battalion of Ziad al-Jarrah in Lebanon was both a priority and an urgency due to the proximity of Israel; despite the fact that other units of the organisation operate outside the country, the Lebanese brigade remains its primary branch.****

Leader: 

To present day: Abed al-Masri;1

Until January 2014: Majid Bin-Muhammad al-Majid.2

Spokesman

Sheikh Sirajeddine Zuraiqat.3

Ideology & Goals 

The group claims to be the protector of Sunnis, especially in Lebanon against the alleged Shi’a domination of Lebanon, and Hezbollah as its embodiment. The group is engaged against Israel, and in this regards argues Hezbollah prevents Sunnis from fighting against the latter thereby protecting Israel’s borders. The organisation also explicitly signaled its intent to carry out attacks against Western interests in the Middle East.4

Since 2012, threats of punishment have been made to Lebanese Shi’a population that would support the Syrian regime in the civil war. The discourse towards Syrians rising against the regime shifted in 2012 from encouraging peaceful protests to calling on the protesters to take up arms.5 The fight against the Syrian regime was framed as one against an apostate regime, but also centrally as one supported by Iran and Hezbollah as its proxy in Lebanon.6

Strategy

The AAB’s strategy is one of global jihad, and revolves around its central aim to further Sunni interests. Furthermore, as claimed by one of its leaders, the groups follows the principle of Islamic jurisprudence holding that the ‘nearby apostate’ should be fought before the ‘distant heretic’. In Lebanon specifically, this can alledgedly be achieved by engaging in a fight against Hezbollah which arguably prevents Sunnis from fighting against Israel, thereby protecting the borders of the other actor construed as a central enemy to Sunni interests.7 In this regard, the group argued through Twitter: "Everyone knows that if a communist, or secular, or social nationalist were to launch a rocket on the Jews, you [Hezbollah] would be there to arrest and punish him for harming your Zionist masters!".8 The AAB has also been involved in the Syrian revolution, framing it as a starting point for a new order.9

Tactics

Suicide missions;

Guerrilla tactics;

Rocket attacks, in its fight against Israel;

In June 2012: al-Majed called upon fighters opposing the Syrian regime to refrain from using explosive belts and car bombing inside Syrian cities.10

Structure

Deterritorialised organisation composed of several networks (or “battalions”) positioned in various locations.

Ziad al-Jarrah, based in Lebanon, is its main battalion in terms of influence and constituency.

Fighters are former members of various Palestinian faction, mainly Usbat al-Ansar, some were volunteers in Iraq whole other joined on an individual basis.11

Allies

Al Qaeda Central (AQC).12

Constituency

Lebanese, Palestinians, Saudis.13

Sphere of influence
 
Arsal, Beirut.14 
  
Soft power tools
 
Media branch, al-Ouzai.15
 
Status
 
Active.
 
History & Politics

The group, traditionally framed as an off-shoot of al Qaeda, was named after the Palestinian religious scholar Abdullah Azzam, a well-known proponent of jihad in the 1980s in Afghanistan against the Soviet troops,  onetime mentor of Osama bin Laden and co-founder of AQ.16 The Lebanese battalion of the organisation is most widely known as the battalion of Ziad al-Jarrah, a.k.a. Ziad al-Jarrah Companies. The network is named after Ziad Jarrah, a Lebanese national who was one of the 19 central responsible for the 9/11 attacks. As argued by Salih al-Qar’awi, it was one of the first units of the organisation to be formed due to the proximity of Israel and the presence of Shi’a Hezbollah in the country. The group has claimed responsibility for many indiscriminate rocket attacks on Israel launched from the Lebanese territory, and its Gaza branch, the Marwan Haddad division, claimed those operated from Gaza.17 Its actions extend to the Persian Gulf, as it noticeably claimed responsibility for the 2010 suicide attack on a Japanese tanker near the Strait of Hormuz.18 More recently, the group has been involved in the Syrian revolution, as it called for the jihad in Syria, with the overarching aim of promoting Sunni Muslims’ interests against the regime seen as apostate. The name of the group came to light when the regime accused them of being responsible for the explosion which hit Damascus in December 2011, despite the group’s denial of such claim.19 In the late September, it has also shown its propensity to coordinate with al-Nusra and IS by supporting their abduction of Lebanese soldiers in Aarsal.20

Legal decisions 

Listed as a foreign terrorist group by the US Department of State Terrorist Organisations List (May 2012 to present), which entails the prohibition to provide "material support or resources",  to enter US territory, to have possession or control over funds from the group.21

Listed as Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US Department of State (May 2012 to present),22 which entails the freezing of all property, interests, transactions of the group within the US.23

Listed as an Al Qaeda affiliate by the UN Security Council Al Qaeda Sanctions List (September 2014 to present),24 which entails the freeze of the group’s funds and assets, the prevention of the group’s entry or transit through UN member States’ territories, the prevention of direct or indirect supply, sale, or transfer of arms and related materials to the group.25

Notable events

November 2013: suicide attack on Iranian embassy in Beirut.26

August 2013: rocket attacks on Israel.27

 
 
* July 2009 refers to the date of founding in the Gulf, the group emerged in Lebanon at the end of 2010 28

**Wasim Naser,من هي كتائب عبد الله عزام التي تبنت تفجيري السفارة الإيرانية في بيروت؟, , November 22nd, 2014, France 24,
Arabe, available at: http://www.france24.com/ar/20131122-%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%B... accessed January 15th, 2015] NB: it is worth noting that the chornology of the creation of the AAB remains unclear, which explains the contradictory information found.

*** Oren Adaki, “Abdullah Azzam Brigades launches rocket attacks from Gaza”, Threat Matrix, Long War Journal, July 15th, 2014, available at: http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2014/07/abdullah_az... [last accessed January 15th, 2015].
 
**** David Barnett, “Abdullah Azzam Brigades claims responsibility for rocket attack on Israel”, Threat Matrix, Long War Journal, August 27th, 2013, available at: http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2013/08/abdullah_az...  [last accessed January 15th, 2015].
 
***** NB: It is interesting to note that Lebanese media and officials have recurrently stressed the jihadist threat emanating from Palestinian refugee camps, as fertile ground for radicalisation, and hence claimed that the HQ for the AAB was in Ain el-Helwe. However this has not been proven, as claimed by researcher Romain Caillet.  Interview by the Lebanon Support team with Romain Caillet, January 14th, 2015, Beirut.
 
[Last updated on February 27th, 2015]