Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order
The Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order (Arabic: جيش رجال الطريقة النقشبندية Jaysh Rijāl aṭ-Ṭarīqa an-Naqshabandiya), also called the Naqshbandi Army, was one of a number of underground Ba'athist and Sufi militant insurgency groups fighting U.S.-led Coalition forces in Iraq. Media frequently refers to the group by the initials JRTN, a romanization of its Arabic name. Supreme Command for Jihad and Liberation, technically the name of the umbrella organisation to which JRTN belongs, is also often used to refer to JRTN specifically.
| Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order | |
|---|---|
| جيش رجال الطريقة النقشبندية | |
The emblem of the JRTN. Parenthesised text reads "A Victory from Allah and an Imminent Conquest". Bottom text reads "Army of The Naqshibandi Way" | |
| Leaders | Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri † (founder, 2006–2020) Salah Al-Mukhtar (2020–2021) |
| Dates of operation | 30 December 2006 – May 14 2021 |
| Allegiance | Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region |
| Group(s) | Intifada Ahrar al-Iraq (2012-13) |
| Motives | Re-establishment of Ba'athist Iraq |
| Active regions | Northwestern and western Iraq Sunni Triangle Baghdad Belts |
| Ideology | Sufi Islam Naqshbandi Iraqi nationalism Arab Socialism Ba'athism |
| Size | 1,500 to 5,000 (2011) |
| Part of | Supreme Command for Jihad and Liberation |
| Allies | MCIR Free Iraqi Army (until 2014) Anbar Tribal Councils Guardians of Religion Organization (alleged) Turkey (alleged) |
| Opponents | Republic of Iraq
Syria United States Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (sometimes since 2014) |
| Battles and wars | Iraq War
|
| Designated as a terrorist group by | Iraq United States |
| Flag | |
| Website | alnakshabandia.net |
| Part of a series on |
| Ba'athism |
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It was named for the Naqshbandi Sufi order. The JRTN's ideology has been described as "a mix of Islamic and pan-Arab nationalistic ideas", with Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri being described as "the hidden sheikh of the Men of the Naqshbandi".