- Local Name: جماعة أنصار الإسلام
- Transliteration: Jama’at Ansar al-Islam
- Alternatives: N/a
- Status: 2016 – 2017 (Defeated)
- Conflicts: Islamist Militancy in Egypt
The Assembly of the Partisans of Islam [JAaI; Jama’at Ansar al-Islam] was an Egyptian jihadi group active between 2016 and 2017. The outfit was initially based in the Libyan city of Derna, before it deployed to Egypt.1 The JAaI was founded and headed by former Egyptian army officer Imadaddin Hamid.2 The group’s ultimate goal was the establishment of an Islamic state in Egypt.3
The JAaI grew out of the constellation of al-Qa’ida-affiliated factions based in Derna during the mid-2010s, although it was not believed to be directly linked to the movement.4 Hamid and his men nevertheless adhered to al-Qa’ida’s objectives and strategy.5 The JAaI’s activities were mainly financed through robbing smugglers carrying goods across the border between Egypt and Libya.6 It also received donations from unidentified wealthy foreign backers.7
Historial Overview
The JAaI was reportedly set up by Hamid somewhere in 2016.8 Hamid and his long-time associate Hisham Ashmawi had earlier defected from the Partisans of the Holy House [ABaM; Ansar Bait al-Maqdis] following its pledge of allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant [DaIISh; Dawlat al-Islamiya fi-Iraq wal ash-Sham].9 In late 2014, Ashmawi, Hamid and their associates moved to the Libyan city of Derna where they were hosted by the Holy Warriors’ Consultative Council of Derna [MSCD; Majlis Shura al-Mujahideen Derna].10 In return, the Egyptians helped train MSCD fighters.11 In 2015, Ashmawi set up the Assembly of the Sentinels [JaM; Jama’at al-Mourabitoun]. Hamid went on to serve as the group’s second-in-command.12 Hamid eventually formed the JAaI with a number of other Derna-based exiled Egyptian jihadis.13 He recruited about two dozen militants, including several Libyan nationals.14
In August 2016, Hamid ordered his men to prepare for travel to Egypt.15 The JAaI departed shortly afterwards and had to fight several gun battles with Tabu tribesmen tasked with protecting the border with Egypt.16 They eventually crossed into Egypt in early September 2016.17 For months, the JAaI roamed the desert in the Assiyut, Qena and Sohag governorates.18 The group forged ties to the Cairo-based Ramez and Bahr Module [RBM].19 In January 2017, the outfit settled near Giza’s Bahariya Oasis.20 There, the JAaI trained its cadres and readied itself to launch attacks.21 Hamid’s group convinced several locals into providing logistical support.22 After a while, the JAaI was also reinforced by about half a dozen militants who had formerly been loyal to the DaIISh.23
On Oct. 20, 2017, the JAaI was surprised by security forces which were checking reports of militant activity in the area. The fighters immediately attacked the police unit with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire, killing sixteen officers and taking another hostage. Fifteen of the attackers were also killed in the clashes.24 Hamid and his remaining men retreated deeper into the desert following the incident. Security forces eventually caught up with them on Oct. 31 when Hamid and eight of his companions were eliminated in an air strike.25 Subsequent investigations revealed that the JAaI had been preparing to attack government installations and the Coptic community.26 In early November 2017, the JAaI officially claimed responsibility for the Oct. 20 attack.27 Al-Qa’ida associates had earlier praised the incident on social media.28
The JAaI had been critically weakened during the confrontations with security forces. Its leader and many of its fighters were killed. By mid-November 2017, the authorities had also arrested almost thirty other associates of the JAaI in the governorates of Giza and Qalyubiya.29 Most of those apprehended were logistical operatives. In the ensuing months, several other people were rounded up. In all, prosecutors charged 53 people for their alleged involvement with the JAaI.30 One JAaI operative was given the death penalty by an Egyptian court in November 2019. Five other members of the outfit were sentenced to life imprisonment. Ten others were also handed prison terms, while thirty other defendants were acquitted.31
References