Ansar al-Sharia (Egypt)

كتيبة أنصار الشريعة (Ansar al-Sharia Battalion) Partisans of Shari'a
Active	November 2012–present
Ideology	Salafist Jihadist
Leaders	Ahmed Ashush
Area of operations	Egypt
Allies	Other groups Wilayat Sinai

al-Taliah al-Salafiyah al-Mujahediyah Ansar al-Sharia (English: Fighting Salafist Vanguard - Partisans of Islamic Law), better known by the name Ansar al-Sharia (Egypt), is a radical Islamist group that operates in Egypt.

Following the Egyptian revolution in 2011, many imprisoned members of Egypt's Jihadist movements were released from prison, and there was an easing of restraints on free speech. This allowed radical followers of Salafist Jihadism to resume their activities, garner support and recruit followers. Amongst those released from prison was Ahmad Ashoush, aka Abu Nizar. In 1989, Ashoush participated in the Jihad in Afghanistan, where he became a close friend of Mohammed Atef, who would later become the military chief of Al Qaeda, and became acquainted with Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al-Zawahiri. In 1991 he returned to Egypt with a group of other Egyptians, founding the jihadi group Vanguards of Conquest, but was arrested in 1993 along with 150 of his followers and remained imprisoned until the revolution.

Ashoush founded Ansar al-Sharia in November 2012. The same name has been used by Salafist Jihadist groups created in Yemen, Tunisia, Libya and elsewhere. The group releases statements through its media branch, al-Bayyan Media Foundation.

In July 2013, in the wake of the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état, a representative of a group of Salafist jihadists in the Sinai Peninsula announced the formation of a group called Ansar al-Sharia in Egypt. At the time of this announcement, it was unclear what, if any connection there is with Ashoush's group. In the following weeks, all of the key members of Ansar al-Sharia were either arrested, joined the Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis faction in the Sinai insurgency, or fled to Syria to take part in the Civil War.

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