Free Iraqi Army
| Free Iraqi Army | |
|---|---|
| الجيش العراقي الحر | |
The 1963-1991 flag of Iraq, used by the FIA. | |
| Dates of operation | 19 July 2012–1 August 2014 |
| Allegiance | Sunni Iraq |
| Motives | Establishment of a Sunni state in Iraq or Sunni overthrow of the Federal government of Iraq |
| Active regions | Iraq |
| Size | 2,500+ |
| Allies | Naqshbandi Army GMCIR Anbar Tribal Council Free Syrian Army |
| Opponents | Mukhtar Army Islamic State |
| Wars | the Syrian Civil War and the Iraqi insurgency |
| Website | https://www.facebook.com/freeiraqiarmypage |
The Free Iraqi Army (FIA; Arabic: الجيش العراقي الحر, romanized: Al-Jayš Al-‘Irāqī Al-Ḥurr) was an Iraqi rebel group formed in the western Sunni-majority provinces of Iraq from Iraqi supporters of the Free Syrian Army rebels fighting in the Syrian Civil War. The group aimed to overthrow the Shia-dominated government of Iraq, believing that they would gain support in this from Syria should the rebels be successful in overthrowing Bashar al-Assad. An Iraqi counterterror spokesman denied this, saying that the name is merely being used by al-Qaeda in Iraq to "attract the support of the Iraqi Sunnis by making use of the strife going on in Syria."
Aside from Anbar Province, the FIA reportedly had a presence in Fallujah, along the Syrian border near the town of Al-Qaim, and in Mosul in the north of Iraq. A recruiting commander for the group told a reporter from The Daily Star newspaper in Lebanon that the group was opposed to both Al-Qaeda in Iraq and their opponents in the Sahwa militia. The same commander claimed that the group received financial support from cross-border tribal extensions and Sunni sympathizers in the Persian gulf states of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
On 4 February 2013, Wathiq al-Batat of the Shiite militant group Hezbollah in Iraq, announced the formation of the Mukhtar Army to fight against al-Qaeda and the Free Iraqi Army. In August 2014, the group became defunct, after a large offensive by ISIL in northern Iraq, with activity on their websites ceasing.