Islamic Army in Iraq

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The Islamic Army in Iraq (Arabic: الجيش الإسلامي في العراق, romanized: al-Jaysh al-Islāmi fī'l-`irāq, abbr. IAI) is an underground Islamist militant organization formed in Iraq following the 2003 invasion of Iraq by U.S.-led Coalition forces, and the subsequent collapse of the Ba'athist regime headed by Saddam Hussein. IAI was regarded as one of the largest, most sophisticated and most influential Sunni insurgent groups in Iraq that led an asymmetrical military insurgency against Coalition forces. The group, made up largely of former Baathists, became known for its grisly videos of kidnappings and attacks on U.S. forces. Although it carries an Islamic title, the group combines Sunni Islamism with Iraqi nationalism, and has been labelled as "resistance" by Iraq's Sunni Vice president Tariq al-Hashimi (who was sentenced to death in 2012) despite al-Hashimi's close relations with the U.S. government. Following the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq in late 2011, the IAI largely demobilized...

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