Diwan al-Amn (Arabic: ديوان الأمن) is the intelligence and security apparatus of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. The term Diwan al-Amn can be translated as the Security Bureau or Security Office. The organization operates within the framework of the Islamic State's administrative structure, with the goal of maintaining internal security and suppressing dissent.[3][4][5][6][7]
| Arabic: ديوان الأمن | |
.png) Logo of Diwan Al-Amn as featured in a video of Wilayah Ninewah | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 2014 |
| Preceding agency | |
| Headquarters | Unknown |
| Motto | Baqiyah wa tatamadad |
| Employees | Unknown |
| Annual budget | Classified |
| Agency executive |
|
History and background
editThe Islamic State group emerged in 2006 from the remnants of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. The group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, declared the establishment of a caliphate, or Islamic state, in parts of Iraq and Syria under the group's control. Diwan al-Amn was established to consolidate control over the territories the group had seized and maintain security within them.[8]
Organization
editDiwan al-Amn is led by an Emir who reports directly to the Islamic State's overall leader, currently believed to be Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. The director oversees several branches responsible for different aspects of security, including intelligence gathering, counterintelligence, surveillance, and investigations.
The organization has a centralized structure, with its headquarters located in the Islamic State's de facto capital, Raqqa, Syria. It also has regional offices in other cities and provinces under the group's control.
Structure
editDiwan al-Amn was divided into several units, including:
Internal Security: responsible for maintaining security within ISIL-held territories and carrying out counter-intelligence operations against potential threats.
Intelligence: responsible for gathering information about potential targets, including individuals and groups that posed a threat to the group's operations.
Counter-Terrorism: responsible for carrying out operations against rival groups and individuals.
Prisons: responsible for managing the group's detention facilities and carrying out interrogations of prisoners.
Media: responsible for producing and distributing ISIL propaganda, including videos that depicted the group's operations and presented a distorted image of life under its rule.[3]
Activities
editDiwan al-Amn is responsible for maintaining security and order within the Islamic State's territories. Its activities include monitoring the population for signs of dissent or opposition, investigating suspected traitors or informants, and suppressing any form of resistance or rebellion.
Diwan al-Amn carried out a range of activities in support of ISIL's goals. These included:
Assassinations: Diwan al-Amn was responsible for carrying out assassinations of individuals deemed to be threats to the group, including political and religious leaders, as well as members of rival groups.
Security Operations: The department carried out security operations, including checkpoints and raids, in order to maintain control over areas under ISIL control.
Propaganda: Diwan al-Amn played a key role in producing and distributing propaganda videos that depicted the group's operations and presented a distorted image of life under its rule.[9]
The organization has also been involved in carrying out attacks against the group's enemies, both inside and outside the Islamic State's territories. It has been implicated in several high-profile terrorist attacks, including the November 2015 Paris attacks, which killed 130 people, and the March 2016 Brussels bombings, which killed 32 people.[10][11]
Criticism and controversy
editThe Islamic State group's brutal tactics, including widespread violence against civilians and the use of public executions, have drawn widespread condemnation from the international community. Diwan al-Amn has been implicated in numerous human rights violations, including torture, arbitrary detention, and extrajudicial killings.
The group's indiscriminate targeting of civilians and non-combatants has been described as constituting war crimes and crimes against humanity by international human rights organizations.[12][13][14][15]
References
edit- ^ "The Archivist: The Islamic State's Security Apparatus Structure in the Provinces".
- ^ "Contact between the Ansar Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Squadron and the Islamic State (2021)". December 23, 2022.
- ^ a b Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad. "The Archivist: The Islamic State's Security Apparatus Structure in the Provinces". Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi.
- ^ Mironova, Vera; Sergatskova, Ekaterina; Alhamad, Karam (22 November 2017). "ISIS' Intelligence Service Refuses to Die". Foreign Affairs.
- ^ Rubin, Michael (December 5, 2016). "How Does ISIS Do Intelligence?".
- ^ Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad. "'Islamic State' in south Syria: An inside look at its internal security apparatus". Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi.
- ^ Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad (6 July 2016). "Observations on the new Islamic State video 'Structure of the Caliphate'". Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi.
- ^ Speckhard, Anne; Yayla, Ahmet S. (2017). "Origins and Inner Workings of ISIS's Intelligence Apparatus". Perspectives on Terrorism. 11 (1): 2–16. JSTOR 26297733 – via JSTOR.
- ^ Almohammad, Asaad; Winter, Charlie (2019). "The Islamic State's Emergent Amni-Media Nexus". Perspectives on Terrorism. 13 (1): 40–52. JSTOR 26590507 – via JSTOR.
- ^ "The Demise of the Islamic State and the Fate of Its Western Foreign Fighters: Six Things to Consider". International Centre for Counter-Terrorism - ICCT.
- ^ Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad. "A Critique of the Islamic State's Amn Khariji Apparatus and Strategy". Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi.
- ^ Bahney, Benjamin; Johnston, Patrick B. (December 15, 2017). "ISIS Could Rise Again". www.rand.org.
- ^ Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad. "Opposition to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: The Testimony of a Former Amni". Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi.
- ^ Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad. "Opposition to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: The Testimony of a Former Amni (II)". Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi.
- ^ Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad. "An Internal Report on Islamic State 'Repentance' Policies in Iraq". Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi.