Organization of Partisans of Islamic Jihad

Partisans of Holy War was a previously unknown group that claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of Khaled Deeb, a 23 year old Saudi national, in Beirut in January 1987. <P><br /><br />A great deal of confusion surrounds the identity of the Partisans of Holy War, and the motivation behind its lone attack.  Khaled Deeb was seized as he drove along a Beirut highway and has been described in the press as both a student and a businessman. He was also rumored to be a Saudi intelligence agent, but this claim was completely unsubstantiated.  After several months in custody, Deeb was released unharmed to the Syrian military.  He stated that he did not know the identity of his captors and was not beaten.  After his release, several Lebanese press sources reported that a group calling themselves the Partisans of Holy War had claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.  <P><br /><br />Although unable to give any insight into his kidnapper's identities, Deeb said that the perpetrators were attempting to stop an Islamic summit in Kuwait that took place shortly after his abduction.  Iran boycotted this particular summit, leading many to speculate that the Partisans were a pro-Iranian group.  Although Iranian-backed militias were responsible for many kidnappings during Lebanon's civil war, there is no evidence that the Partisans of Holy War were funded by that country.  The ideology and motivation behind Partisans of Holy War's actions remain unknown.<br />

Partisans of Holy War has not claimed responsibility for any attacks since the Deeb kidnapping in 1987.  It is almost certain that the group has permanently deactivated. With the end of the Lebanese civil war in 1990, Partisans of Holy War will not be responsible for further violence.

The Partisans of the Sunni is a religious terrorist group operating in Iraq that is engaged in retaliatory killings of Shia Muslims. The group first emerged publicly on November 24, 2005 when it claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in a Hillah market. Hillah is the capital of the Babil province, located in the region south of Baghdad known as 'the Triangle of Death,' and citizens in Hillah are predominantly Shia. Iraqi security forces believe the Partisans of the Sunni was established several months prior to this attack. <br /><p><br />The attack was claimed to be in response to the assassination of Khadim Sarhid al-Hemaiyem and the recent killings of other Sunnis. Al-Hemaiyem was the leader of the Batta clan of Iraq's largest Sunni tribe, the al-Dulaimi. He was killed on November 23 when armed men dressed in Iraqi army uniforms entered his house, killing him, three of his sons and his son-in-law. Because his brother was a candidate in the Dec. 15 parliamentary election, sources believe the attack was related to the election boycott by several Sunni organizations and their threat against Sunnis who participate. At the time, members of the Partisans of the Sunni most likely assumed that Shia groups were involved in al-Hemaiyem's death.<br />