Jundullah

Jundullah&mdash;also known as "Army of God", "Allah's Soldiers", and "God's Brigade", as well as the Popular Iranian Resistance Movement &mdash;is a Sunni "Pakistani tribal miltant group responsible for a series of deadly guerrilla raids inside Iran." It is "made up of members of the Baluchi tribe and operates out of the Baluchistan province in Pakistan, just across the border from Iran," Brian Ross and Christopher Isham reported April 3, 2007, for ABC News.

The group, which "has taken responsibility for the deaths and kidnappings of more than a dozen Iranian soldiers and officials", "has been secretly encouraged and advised by American officials since 2005, U.S. and Pakistani intelligence sources tell ABC News," Ross and Isham wrote.

Following the February 2007 bombing attack on Zaheden, which lies in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchestan, bordering on both Afghanistan and Pakistan, Brigadier General Mohammad Ghafari "renewed Iranian accusations that Jundullah was receiving support from British and US forces in neighboring Afghanistan for its campaign of violence in Sistan-Baluchestan," David Eshel wrote in the March 2007 Defense Update.

"CIA is supporting Iranian ethnic groups like sunni Balochs and Kurds inside Iran. Iranian relation with pakistan are becoming tense. Pakistan is playing role of surrogate for americans even though they hate this role. Jundullah a sunni militant group is getting full support of CIA," the blog my views about world as i see it (Dr. Sanghar) stated February 25, 2007.

Because direct U.S. funding to the group "would require an official presidential order or 'finding' as well as congressional oversight, ABC News was told by tribal sources "that money for Jundullah is funneled to its youthful leader, Abd el Malik Regi, through Iranian exiles who have connections with European and Gulf states."

Regi "used to fight with the Taliban" and is "part drug smuggler, part Taliban, part Sunni activist," according to Alexis Debat, a "senior fellow on counterterrorism at the Nixon Center and an ABC News consultant who recently met with Pakistani officials and tribal members," Ross and Isham wrote.

"Pakistani government sources say the secret campaign against Iran by Jundullah was on the agenda when Vice President Dick Cheney met with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in February," Ross and Isham wrote. "A senior U.S. government official said groups such as Jundullah have been helpful in tracking al Qaeda figures and that it was appropriate for the U.S. to deal with such groups in that context."

"Some former CIA officers say the arrangement is reminiscent of how the U.S. government used proxy armies, funded by other countries including Saudi Arabia, to destabilize the government of Nicaragua in the 1980s," Ross and Isham wrote.

Background
"Jundullah is a purely militant outfit whose objective is to target Pakistan's pro-US rulers and US and British interests in the country. Members receive training in Afghanistan and South Waziristan, and it is now actively recruiting," Syed Saleem Shahzad wrote July 24, 2004, in Asia Times.

"The organization produces propaganda literature, including documentary films, and has a studio named Ummat. It does similar work for al-Qaeda's media wing, which is called the al-Sahab Foundation," Shahzad wrote. "These media outlets incite the sentiments of Muslim youths by producing films showing Western - particularly Israeli and US - 'atrocities' against Muslim communities. This is the basic tool through which a new generation of jihadis is being raised.

"Jundullah was allegedly headed by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the al-Qaeda operational commander of the September 11 terrorist attack in the US. He was arrested in Pakistan early last year," Shahzad wrote.

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * covert operations
 * Global War on Terrorism
 * outposts of tyranny
 * terrorism
 * war in Iran

Profiles

 * Jundullah in the Wikipedia.

Publications

 * Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon, The Next Attack: The Failure of the War on Terror and a Strategy for Getting it Right, Times Books, October 13, 2005, ISBN-10: 0805079416 / ISBN-13: 978-0805079418.
 * Sushant Sareen, The Jihad Factory. Pakistan's Islamic Revolution in the Making, Hindustan Publishing Corporation, India, August 1, 2005, ISBN-10: 8124110751 / ISBN-13: 978-8124110751.

2003

 * Andrew Marshall, "A Jihadi's Tale. What drives so many Muslims to find peace in a holy war?" TIME Asia, posted March 3, 2003; March 10, 2003, issue. re Laskar Jundullah in Indonesia
 * "Pakistan's militant Islamic groups. The militant Islamic groups banned in Pakistan include several groups which have been often blamed for a stream of sectarian violence in the country," BBC News, October 7, 2003.

2004

 * Hossam el-Hamalawy, "Freelance Jihad. Crusaders and the Soldiers of Allah," Islam Online, January 27, 2004.
 * Salman Masood, "Pakistan Detains Ex-Qaeda Head's Nephew and 9 With Terror Ties," New York Times (abstract), June 13, 2004. Subscription required.
 * B. Raman, "Questions over Pak arrests," Rediff.com (India), June 16, 2004.
 * Massoud Ansari, "'Divine' Mission. A new group of militants, calling themselves the 'Army of God,' have a hit-list of top army and government officials," Newsline (Pakistan), July 2004.
 * "Pakistani police detain doctors," BBC News, July 2, 2004.
 * "Jundullah reveals plan to attack US centre in Karachi," Times of India, July 20, 2004.
 * Syed Saleem Shahzad, "The legacy of Nek Mohammed," Asia Times, July 20, 2004. See Nek Muhammad Wazir in the Wikipedia.
 * Zahid Hussain, "Al-Qaeda's New Face," Newsline (Pakistan), August 2004.
 * "KARACHI: Charge-sheet against two Jundullah men filed," DAWN, August 4, 2004.
 * B. Raman, "The al Qaeda striptease," Asia Times (UnknownNews.org), September 3, 2004.
 * Paul Haven, "Militants Funding Terror With Heists," Associated Press (SITE Institute), September 20, 2004.
 * "Pakistani terrorist cells getting more organized," Associated Press (Taipei Times (China)), September 22, 2004.
 * "Who wanted Amjad Farooqi dead?" Rediff.com (India), October 1, 2004.
 * "Jundullah activist Remanded," Pakistan Times, October 17, 2004.
 * "Thousands Respond to Call for Martyrs," Iran Focus, November 28, 2004.

2005

 * Farooq Baloch, "Rangers mobile attack case. Two Jundullah activists awarded death sentence," Karachi News (Pakistan), March 2005.
 * "Doctors jailed for militant links," BBC News, March 14, 2005.
 * "ATC appoints defence counsel for seven Jundullah activists," Daily Times (Pakistan), May 1, 2005.
 * "Sketches of Mufti Atiq’s killers prepared," Karachi News (Pakistan), June 28, 2005.
 * "Abu Faraj al-Libbi Arrest in Pakistan Points to Young al Qaeda," DEBKAfile, May 7, 2005.

2006

 * "Beyond al-Qaeda. Part 2: The Outer Rings of the Terrorist Universe," Project Air Force/prepared for the U.S. Air Force by the Rand Corporation, 2006.
 * "11 Pakistani Islamists get death sentence for attack on top general," People's Daily Online (China), February 22, 2006.
 * Aamir Ashraf, "FBI Joins Pakistani Police Probing Consular Blast," Reuters (RedOrbit.com), March 4, 2006.
 * "Jundullah suspected behind US consulate attack," Daily Times (Pakistan), March 5, 2006.
 * "Pakistani court sentences two militants to death," RedOrbit.com, March 6, 2006.
 * B. Raman, "Why Bush was frosty in Pakistan," Rediff.com (India), March 6, 2006.
 * "KARACHI: Two Jundullah men sentenced to death," DAWN, March 7, 2006.
 * "A Weekly Review of Developments in and Pertaining to Iran," Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (GlobalSecurity.org), April 10, 2006.
 * ""A Weekly Review of Developments in and Pertaining to Iran," Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (GlobalSecurity.org), April 18, 2006.
 * Bill Samii, "Analysis: Tehran Confronts An Ethnically Diverse Population," Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, May 9, 2006; Payvand's Iran News, May 10, 2006.
 * Chris Zambelis, "Violence and Rebellion in Iranian Balochistan," Jamestown Foundation, June 29, 2006.
 * Ray Robison, "The trail of the Sky Bombers," RayRobison Blog, August 11, 2006.
 * Praveen Swami, "Evidence mounts of Pakistan links," The Hindu, August 12, 2006.
 * "Bojinka II, Pakistan & Musharraf," Rediff.com (India), August 12, 2006.
 * B. Raman, "BOJINKA 2006: Focus On Omar Sheikh, Rashid Rauf & Prof. Sayeed," International Terrorism Monitor-Paper No. 105, South Asia Analysis Group, August 16, 2006.
 * Zaffar Abbas, "Pakistan's battle over Balochistan," BBC News, August 26, 2006.
 * Barbara Plett, "Analysis: Pakistan's deal with 'Taleban'," BBC News, September 6, 2006.

2007

 * "Iranian bombing 'kills 11 people'," BBC News (UK), February 14, 2007.
 * Ian Black, "Enemies at the borders. An explosion in the south-eastern Iranian city of Zahedan should give pause for thought about wider instability in the Middle East," comment is free... / Guardian (UK), February 14, 2007.
 * Kenneth Rijock, "UK & US charged with supporting terrorism inside Iran," World-Check.com, February 19, 2007.
 * Kimia Sinati, "Middle East: Shia-Sunni Violence Spreads in Iran," IPS, February 21, 2007.
 * "Operation Iranian Freedom," my views about world as i see it Blog, February 25, 2007.
 * M.K. Bhadrakumar, "Foreign devils in the Iranian mountains," Asia Times, February 27, 2007.
 * David Eshel, "Ethnic Opposition on the rise in Iran," Defense Update, March 2007.
 * Ghulam Hasnain and Dean Nelson, "Gunfire over the Pakistan border rattles Iranian leaders," Times Online (UK), March 4, 2007.
 * M Ilyas Khan, "Taleban spread wings in Pakistan," BBC News, March 5, 2007.
 * "Iran: Tehran Blames the West for Ethnic Unrest," Inter Press Service (HighBeam Encyclopedia), March 5, 2007.
 * M Ilyas Khan, "Fractious militants united by one thing," BBC News, March 7, 2007.
 * Kimia Sinati, "Iran fires back at the West," Asia Times, March 8, 2007.
 * David Eshel, "Ethnic Opposition on the Rise in Iran," DefenseUpdate.com (AINA), March 8, 2007.
 * B. Raman, "Attacks on Uzbeks in South Waziristan," International Terrorism Monitor Paper No. 208, South Asia Analysis Group, March 23, 2007.
 * D. Suba Chandran, "Iran's Internal Bombs: Balochi or Sunni?" Institute of Peace & Conflict Studies, March 30, 2007.
 * Brian Ross and Christopher Isham, "The Secret War Against Iran," The Blotter / ABC News, April 3, 2007.
 * Brent Baker, "Day After Highlighting Iran Nuclear Threat, ABC Exposes 'Secret War' to Avert It," NewsBusters, April 3, 2007.
 * Allahpundit, "ABC News: U.S. hookin’ up with Pakistani terrorists to target Iran," Hot Air Blog, April 3, 2007.
 * Dilip Hiro, "The dismantling process. Four years after the catastrophic invasion of Iraq, Bush shows no sign of calling off his two-year campaign to destabilise Iran," comment is free... / Guardian (UK), April 3, 2007.