Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya
| al-Itihaad al-Islamiya | |
|---|---|
|
الاتحاد الإسلامي Participant in the Somali Civil War |
|
 |
|
| Active | 1992-2006 |
| Groups | Ogaden |
| Leaders |
Hassan Aweys Hassan Turki Adan Eyrow |
| Headquarters | Kismayo |
| Area of operations | Somalia, Ogaden |
| Succeeded by | Islamic Courts Union |
| Allies |
al-Qaeda
|
| Opponents |
 Transitional Federal Government Ethiopia United StatesSomali Salvation Democratic Front Isaaq clan Dhulbahante clan Absguul clan |
al-Itihaad al-Islamiya (Arabic: الاتحاد الإسلامي, lit. 'The Islamic Union') or AIAI was an Islamist militant group in Somalia. It is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
In the early 1990s, as Somalia fell into disorder following the collapse of the Siad Barre regime, Osama bin Laden took advantage of the chaos to fund al-Itihaad, later sending foreign militants who trained and fought alongside al-Itihaad members, with the goal of creating an Islamist state in the Horn of Africa. AIAI was also active in setting up sharia courts. Despite its association with al-Qaeda, other analysts cautioned against overgeneralization, noting that al-Itihaad had elements of a genuine social movement and that the characters of sub-factions throughout the country substantially differed from each other.
By 1994, al-Itihaad had established itself in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. According to a report by the Emergency Unit for Ethiopia of the UNDP, the Al-Ittihad were most active in the area between Kebri Dahar, Danan, Kelafo and Degehabur. Some elements were reported to be active near Danot, Nusdariiq and 'Adow. Although they had support amongst the Ogaden, at the time their activities were not tolerated by the Isaaq and Dhulbahante clans. The al-Itihaad sent a delegation to the Peace and Unity Conference of the Somali Nation, which was held February 1995 at Kebri Dehar, at which they made pledges which would cause the organization to effectively cease to exist as a political and military force within the Ogaden. Despite this promise al-Ittihad continued to engage in violent actions after this congress. One was the attempted assassination of then Minister of Transportation and Communications, Abdul Majid Hussein in 1996. Another was in March of that year, when they raided areas in the Jigjiga Zone controlled by the Abskuul clan, apparently in collaboration with disaffected members of this clan. Established local security forces cleared al-Itihaad infiltrators from the Jigjiga Zone, and the defeated remnants retreated to disputed border areas between the Somali and gala(oromo) regions, which has served as a refuge for them, as well as for Oromo fundamentalist rebel groups.
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