Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz

Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz
حركة النضال العربي لتحرير الأحواز
Participant in Arab separatism in Khuzestan
Flag of the ASMLA
Active 1999 (1999)–present
Ideology Arab nationalism
Separatism
Groups Mohiuddin al Nasser Martyrs Brigade (military wing)[1]
Leaders Ahmad Mola Nissi (KIA)
Area of operations Khuzestan, Iran
Opponents Iran Iranian armed forces
Website http://ahwazona.net/
Designated as a terrorist organisation by
 Iran
Logo of the ASMLA

Al-Ahvaziya or the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz (Arabic: حركة النضال العربي لتحرير الأحواز‎; abbreviated ASMLA or MALLA[2]) is an Arab nationalist insurgent group that advocates for a separate Arab state in Khuzestan Province from Iran. It is classified as a terrorist group by the Iranian government.[3]

History

In 1999, Ahmad Mola Nissi and Habib Yabar Ahvazi, Khuzestan independence activists, established the ASMLA[2] in order to continue the political struggle for the independence of Ahvaz (Khuzestan).[4]

On 12 June 2005, the ASMLA took responsibility for setting off four bombs, killing eight people and injuring seventy-five.[3]

On 24 January 2006, the ASMLA set off two bombs in the city of Ahvaz,[5] killing nine people and injuring forty-six. The first bomb went off at 9:30 AM outside Saman Bank. The second bomb went off at 10:00 AM outside the government's environmental agency building. Iran attributed the explosions to the "occupiers of Iraq", but the ASMLA claimed responsibility the next day.[3] The Iranian government arrested fifty suspects for involvement with the bombings.[6]

On 16 May 2015, the ASMLA claimed responsibility for an attack on an Iranian government office in Susangerd.[7]

On 3 January 2017, the militant wing of the ASMLA, the Mohiuddin al Nasser Martyrs Brigade, claimed to have blown up two oil pipelines in western Khuzestan province; the claim was denied by the Iranian government in Tehran, which maintained that there was no unrest in its Arab population. The ASMLA declared that the targeted pipelines had been completely destroyed, inflicting "major damage and heavy fuel losses." Following the attack, one of the field commanders of the Mohiuddin Brigade stated that 2017 would be different from previous years, as the movement had prepared a precise, specific plan of significant strikes against the vital, sensitive economic center of the "Persian Enemy." [8][9]

Ahmad Mola Nissi, the leader of the ASMLA, was shot and killed on 8 November 2017 in front of his home in The Hague, in the Netherlands.[10][1]

On 22 September 2018, Yaqoob Al-Ahvaz claimed responsibility for the 2018 Ahvaz military parade attack in comments to UK-based Iran International TV. He said that his group Ahvaz National Resistance, a part of Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz, has "no choice but to resist."[11] On 23 September, a statement made in The Hague, Netherlands, on the ASMLA website, denied responsibility for the attack, saying that the claim was made by a "group that was expelled from the organization since 2015".[12][13]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Iranian political activist shot dead in Netherlands, Reuters
  2. 1 2 Hurtado, Luis Miquel (23 September 2018). "Al Ahvaziya: el independentismo árabe amenaza a Irán desde Europa". El Mundo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 23 September 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz MIPT Terror Knowledge Base
  4. ↑ Adil Alsalmi. "Liberation of Ahwaz Movement Leader: The Deceive Storm restored faith to our hearts". Asharq Al-Awsat.
  5. ↑ BBC coverage of January 2006 attacks BBC World News
  6. ↑ Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz attacked Government target (Jan. 24, 2006, Iran) MIPT Terror Knowledge Base
  7. ↑ Arab separatists attack Iran government office NOW news
  8. ↑ Arab separatists in Iran say attacked pipelines in west, Tehran issues denial Reuters
  9. ↑ Ahwazi freedom fighters destroy two major Iranian oil pipelines Ahwazna.net
  10. ↑ Iranian separatist leader killed in The Hague: Reports NL Times
  11. ↑ "UPDATED: Armed group kills over 20 at military parade in Iran's Ahvaz". Kurdistan 24. 22 September 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  12. ↑ "ASMLA'S OFFICIAL STATEMENT REGARDING MILITARY PARADE ATTACK". ahwazona.net. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  13. ↑ "Beschuldigde Iraanse oppositiegroep uit Den Haag: "Wij pleegden aanslag niet"" (in Dutch). Het Laatste Nieuws. Algemeen Dagblad. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
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