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White Flags

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with White flag.
White Flags
Kurdish: ئاڵا سپییەکان
Leaders
Dates of operation2017–2018
HeadquartersTuz Khurmatu
Active regionsNorthern Iraq
Size500–1,000[5]
Part of Ansar al-Islam (Iraqi gov. claim)[3]
Allies Islamic State
Opponents
Battles and wars
Designated as a terrorist group by Iraq[8]

The White Flags (Kurdish: ئاڵا سپییەکان, romanized: Alên Spî), also known as Sufyaniyyun (Kurdish: سوفیانیون, romanized: Sufyanîyûn),[9][10] was an alleged Kurdish militant group in Iraq, and an offshoot of Ansar al-Islam, based in the disputed territories of northern Iraq.[11] Their first purported appearance was during the Battle of Kirkuk in October 2017, when the federal government regained control of disputed territories which were taken by the Kurdistan Regional Government.[12][13]

Ideology

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Iraqi civil and military officials as well as regional experts, claim that the White Flags are a Kurdish nationalist or separatist faction which was founded in response to the Iraqi takeover of Kirkuk, with its members referring to themselves as "the Kurdish resistance".[14] American defense and military officials also said that it "appears to be a union of Kurdish terrorists and former ISIS fighters", or a union of Kurdish ISIS and Ansar al-Islam remnants.[14] Iraqi intelligence, and Bill Roggio, said that the group appeared to be an attempt at rebranding by a faction of Ansar al-Islam, or even a local Kurdish movement to oppose the Iraqi government. The Iraqi government said that the White Flags are a front organization of Ansar al-Islam.[3][15]

All those claims was supported by the fact that the White Flags leader and founder, Assi al-Qawali, was a religious figure and a staunch KDP supporter. He also had close ties to Mullah Krekar. The variant flag of the White Flags had "Ansar al-Islam movement" written on top of it.[16]

Organisation and tactics

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The White Flags are considered to be a terrorist organization by Iraqi officials. In late 2017, an Iraqi Turkmen MP accused Kurdish leaders of supporting the group. This was denied by the Kurdistan Regional Government.[17] The group's leader Hiwa Chor, a one-eyed militant,[18] was a former member of al-Qaeda in Iraq but disagreed with their international Caliphate plans so he left the organization.[7] The group uses various guerilla tactics such as ambushes and utilizes IEDs. It also uses mortars and rockets. The group operates in and around Tuz Khurmatu and has launched frequent attacks on oil fields and routes in the area.[5] The White Flags usually target establishments affiliated with Turkmen or Shia Arab political parties.[19]

Kurds generally believed that the Iraqi government had entirely fabricated the existence of the White Flags, or at least heavily exaggerated it. Nevertheless, the group disappeared in 2018 when the situation in the disputed territories stabilised.[20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "بالصور... هنا يختبى السفيانيون في العراق!!".
  2. ^ "White Flags - intelNews.org". Archived from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Suadad al-Salhy (14 December 2017). "Kurdish militant group re-emerges in northern Iraq under new name". Arab News. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  4. ^ "Iraq to launch security operation against White Banners group, but who are they?". english.alarabiya.net. 4 February 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-02-04. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
  5. ^ a b c Tom Westcott (31 January 2018). "No surrender: 'White Flags' group rises as new threat in northern Iraq". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  6. ^ Wladimir van Wilgenburg (9 February 2018). "Coordination between Kurdish and Iraqi forces for anti-Jihadist operations in Tuz Khurmato". The Region. Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  7. ^ a b Purpose, Task &. "A 'post-ISIS insurgency' is gaining steam in Iraq". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 25 April 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  8. ^ ""الرايات البيضاء" تخلف "السوداء": بغداد تتحدى "الإرهاب" مجدّداً". الأخبار. Archived from the original on 10 August 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  9. ^ "من هم السفيانيون؟". مركز بيت العراق للدراسات الإستراتيجية (in Arabic). 2017-12-02. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  10. ^ تقي, يقول حسين (2 December 2017). "من هم السفيانيون و جماعات الرايات البيضاء التي بدأت تظهر في مناطق كركوك؟ – صوت كوردستان" (in Arabic). Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  11. ^ "White Banners Movement Ignites War of Words Among Iraqi Factions". Asharq AL-awsat. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  12. ^ "No surrender: 'White Flags' group rises as new threat in northern Iraq". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  13. ^ "After ISIS black flags, Iraq faces 'White Banners' threat | Mamoon Alabbasi". AW. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  14. ^ a b Al-awsat, Asharq. "Middle-east Arab News Opinion". aawsat.com. Archived from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  15. ^ "Iraqi security forces repel White Flags terrorists in Tuz Khurmatu". The Baghdad Post. 25 January 2018. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  16. ^ Akgungor, Ilker (December 17, 2017). "Barzani'nin 'Beyaz bayraklısı' yakalandı!". Medium.
  17. ^ "After ISIS black flags, Iraq faces 'White Banners' threat - The Arab Weekly". Archived from the original on 2018-02-09. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
  18. ^ Mackay, Neil (8 April 2018). "ISIS 2.0". Sunday Herald. ProQuest 2022776961.
  19. ^ "الرايات البيضاء تشعل التوتر بين البيشمركة والحشد الشيعي". أورينت نت.
  20. ^ "Kurdish group incorporated into Syrian Ministry of Defense". Zagros Media. February 6, 2024.
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