Al Naqshabandiya Army Announces Creation of “Jihadi Awakening Councils”

The Iraqi insurgent group al Naqshabandiya Army announced that it has signed “loyalty and honor agreements” with a number of tribal dignitaries and chiefs in southern Iraq. According to the terms of the agreements, those tribes would pledge allegiance to the Supreme Command For Jihad and Liberation, led by Saddam’s former deputy Izzet Ibrahim al Doury, and would “offer their sons to fight for the victory of Islam and liberate the country from any foreign occupying enemy.”

A document attached to the statement listed the names of 34 Iraqi tribes, which according to the group, have signed the agreement.

Al Naqshabandiyah Army is a group made of former Baathists and former Iraqi army officers, operating under the command of Izzet Ibrahim al Doury, mainly around the Baghdad area. The group has stepped up its operations against U.S. forces in recent times. This was evidenced in the increased frequency of recent attacks’ videos distributed by the group.