1920 Revolution Brigade
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| 1920 Revolution Brigades كتائب ثورة العشري |
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| Leader | Unknown |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Headquarters | Al Anbar Province |
| Political ideology | Sunni Islam |
| International affiliation | None Known |
| Website | http://www.kataeb20.com |
The 1920 Revolution Brigades (Arabic كتائب ثورة العشرين) is an insurgence group in Iraq. It describes its aim as to establish a liberated and independent Iraqi state on an Islamic basis. It has been active in the area west of Baghdad, in the regions of Abu Ghraib, Khan Dari and Fallujah and in the governorates of Ninwi, Diyali and al-Anbar.[1] The name of the group (Literally "Brigades of the Revolution of the Twenty") refers to the 1920 revolution against British colonial rule in Iraq, drawing an implicit parallel between the nationalist resistance against that occupation with the guerrillas fighting coalition forces today. They are the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Iraq). The logo of the group is a map of Iraq, with a Quran on top of it, and the verse "Fight them, God shall torture them by your hands". In the middle there is a mirrored symbol of an AK-47, with an Iraqi flag attached to it. Between the gun and the flag, a small print says "Islamic Resistance movement", and below, a larger print reads "Brigades of the 20th Revolution."
The Brigade first emerged in a July 16 statement in which it claimed that U.S. forces were sustaining higher casualties than were being reported.[1] Since then, it resurfaced periodically, including in graffiti in such insurgent strongholds as Fallujah. This group appears to concentrate on guerilla activity, rather than terrorism, and is sensitive to the opinions of the established Sunni Muslim clergy in Iraq (in contrast to groups such as Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad). High-profile operations include the kidnapping of U.S. Marine Wassef Ali Hassoun in June 2004 and the bombing of the al-Arabiya television network headquarters in Baghdad in October 2005.[2] It has also shot down several American helicopters in the Fallujah region.[1]
Little is known about the group’s leadership, except that on 2 January 2005, the Iraqi Defense Ministry reported that Iraqi security forces arrested Hatim al-Zawba’i, whom they identified as a commander of the 1920 Revolution Brigades. In a statement issued on 13 February 2006, the group vowed to “carry on jihad until the liberation and victory or [until they are] martyred.[2]
[edit] Video Footage
- 1920 IED Attack. Posted 12 January 2007.
- 1920 IED Attack. Posted 17 January 2007.
- 1920 Attack on Blackwater Helicopter. Posted 23 January 2007.
- 1920 IED Construction. Posted 9 February 2007.
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] External Links
The 1920s Revolutionary Brigade. Official website, removed in January 2007 by its Kuwaiti hosts.
