Ansar al-Din (Supporters of Islam) was a religious terrorist organization operating in Iraq. In its history, Ansar al-Din claimed responsibility for a sole attack, the April 2004 kidnapping of two humanitarian aid workers, Fadi Ihsan Fadal and Nabil George Razzuq. Fadal, a Syrian-born Canadian citizen, worked for the International Rescue Committee, and Razzuq, a Palestinian Christian from East Jerusalem, was a contractor working for the U.S. Agency for International Development. In a video released by Ansar al-Din, armed gunmen claimed to be holding 'occupation forces' prisoner and accused the hostages of being spies for Israel, demanding the release of Iraqi prisoners in exchange for their release. Although no Iraqi prisoners were released, both hostages were freed after two weeks in captivity.

Members of Ansar al-Din have not claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack since April 2004. While the group is most likely inactive, it is possible that its members continue to be active participants in the Iraqi insurgency within other terrorist organizations.

al-Qaeda Organization in the Land of the Two Rivers -- Shared Members
Saad bin Abi Waqas Brigades -- Splinter Group

Supporters of Islam (English translation)

Ansar al-Islam is an Islamic fundamentalist organization headquartered in the Kurdish area of northern Iraq.  Ansar was created in December 2001 from the merger of Jund al-Islam (Soldiers of Islam) and an unnamed group led by Mullah Krekar.  Jund al-Islam was itself a conglomerate, formed from smaller groups that had broken off from the Islamic Movement of Kurdistan in the mid-nineties, such as Hamas (not the Palestinian group), the Second Soran Unit, and the Tawhid Islamic Front.  Evidence suggests that al-Qaeda played a role in the formation of Ansar and that it continues to provide some funding and training.  Ansar al-Islam's founding philosophy called for the establishment of a Kurdish theocracy under sharia, or strict Islamic law.  Its radically religious stance put Ansar at odds with Kurdistan"s secular parties, such as the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).  In February 2003, members of Ansar al Islam assassinated Shawkat Hajji Mushir, Kurdish parliamentarian and PUK founder, as he left a meeting.  The gunmen also killed two officials accompanying Mushir, and then proceeded to open fire on the village of Oamesh Tapa where the meeting had taken place.  The group has also been accused of involvement in a failed 2002 assassination attempt against Kurdish leader Barham Saleh.