Fatah al-Islam
Fatah al-Islam (Arabic: فتح الإسلام, meaning: Conquest of Islam) is a Sunni Islamist militant group established in November 2006 in a Palestinian refugee camp, located in Lebanon. It has been described as a militant jihadist movement that draws inspiration from al-Qaeda. It became well known in 2007 after engaging in combat against the Lebanese Army in the Nahr al-Bared UNRWA Palestinian refugee camp. Following its defeat at Nahr el-Bared, the group relocated to the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp near Sidon in 2008. As of 2014, after the death or capture of many members, most of the surviving members of Fatah al-Islam are thought to have joined other groups in Lebanon and Syria including the Free Syrian Army, Al-Nusra Front, Ahrar al-Sham, and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
| Fatah al-Islam | |
|---|---|
| فتح الإسلام | |
Flag of Fatah al-Islam | |
| Leaders | Shaker al-Abssi † Abu Mohamad Awad † Abu Hussam al Shami † |
| Dates of operation | 2006–present |
| Headquarters | Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian Refugee Camp Nahr al-Bared Palestinian Refugee Camp (former) |
| Active regions | Lebanon Syria |
| Ideology | Sunni Islamism Sunni Jihadism Anti-Zionism |
| Size | ~200 |
| Allies | Al-Qaeda Jund al-Sham Osbat al-Nour |
| Opponents | Lebanese Armed Forces Syrian Armed Forces Fatah al-Intifada |
| Battles and wars | 2007 Lebanon conflict Syrian Civil War |
| Designated as a terrorist group by | Lebanon Syria United Arab Emirates |
The United States Department of State classified the group as a terrorist organization on 9 August 2007 but it was not classified as such anymore on 24 November 2010.