SUMMARY

The 1920 Revolutionary Brigades was the armed wing of the political movement called the Islamic Resistance Movement. The group however had no allegiance to any political party as it did not recognise any democratic process in Iraq as legitimate as long as the country was under US occupation. . In 2007 the group split in two factions, one retaining the name the 1920 Revolutionary Brigades while the other became Hamas-Iraq, a more political movement inspired by its Palestinian counterpart.

Ideologically the 1920 Revolutionary Brigades had a strong Islamic identity. The core of its membership was a mixture of Salafis, Muslim Brothers, and Islamists. They were to some extent also backed by Iraqi tribesmen. The group is Sunni and aims to establish an Islamic Caliphate in Iraq.

The 1920 Revolutionary Brigades has been involved in armed combatting in Iraq since 2003. The group, which has been claimed to include more than thirty battalions, has made clear that it rejects violence against Iraqi civilians and attacks that run the risk of harming civilians. The leadership of the military section has been made secret, only referred to as “the Amir”.

The 1920 Revolutionary Brigades has been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organised violence.