Whatever the true origin of al-Faran, it has not carried out an attack since its spate of kidnappings in 1995, and it presumed to be inactive.<br />

Jihadist al-Faruq Brigades, Media Commission for the Mujahidin in Iraq

The al-Faruq Brigades are a Jihadist terrorist group fighting coalition forces in Iraq.  Their self-proclaimed goal is to "Cleanse Baghdad, the City of Peace, of the invaders, by the grace of God, on a day when the Believers will rejoice at God's triumph."  They believe that their "Jihad in Iraq is a jihad of victory or martyrdom."  Although their name only became prominent publicly after the phase of major combat in Iraq and the defeat of Saddam Hussein's regime, the group has claimed that it also fought alongside the Iraqi Army near Baghdad in May 2003.

Although they have been definitively linked only to the November 2003 attack on a group of Spanish soldiers, the group has boasted of involvement in a number of other attacks, mainly on American soldiers.  On a number of Jihadist websites and through a publication called the Free Arab Voice, the al-Faruq Brigades have claimed that they have begun to manufacture a number of different kinds of rockets, including a "dirty warhead" with red mercury.  Although the Ansar al-Sunnah group has been held responsible, the al-Faruq brigades have claimed that they used these rockets in the December 2004 attack on an American base at al-Ghizlani, near Mosul in northern Iraq.<br /><p><br />The group has not claimed responsibility for any terrorist act in Iraq since December 2004; however, there have been no reports about the capture of any group members. They are presumed to still be active.

al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades -- Splinter Group
Black Panthers (West Bank/Gaza) -- Splinter Group
Knights of the Tempest -- Splinter Group
Mujahadi Bayt al-Maqdis Brigades -- Shared Members
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) -- Rival and Ally
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) -- Rival
Palestinian Popular Struggle Front (PSF) -- Rival and Ally
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine -- General Command (PFLP-GC) -- Rival
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) -- Rival and Ally
Popular Resistance Committees -- Shared Members