Jundallah (Iran)
| Jundallah (Iran) | |
|---|---|
| جندالله | |
Insignia of Jundallah | |
| Leaders |
|
| Dates of operation | 2003–2012 |
| Active regions | Sistan and Baluchestan Province |
| Ideology | Separatism |
| Notable attacks | |
| Size | 700–2,000 |
| Allies | Allegedly (see below): |
| Opponents | Iran |
| Battles and wars | Insurgency in Balochistan |
| Designated as a terrorist group by | Iran Japan New Zealand United Kingdom United States |
Jundallah (Arabic: جندالله, lit. 'Soldiers of God'), also known as the People's Resistance Movement of Iran (PRMI), was a Sunni Salafi militant organization based in Sistan and Baluchestan, a province in southeast Iran. The group shared its name with another Baloch group, Pakistan's Jundallah, which was active in Pakistani Balochistan as part of the same insurgency, the Insurgency in Balochistan. Iran's Jundallah claimed to have been fighting for the "equal rights of Sunni Muslims in Iran".
The organization was founded in 2003 by Abdolmalek Rigi, an ethnic Balochi. Rigi was captured and executed at Evin Prison in Tehran in 2010. It was believed to have between 700 and 2,000 fighters. Jundallah commanders claim the group had killed up to 400 Iranian soldiers.
Jundallah had been officially designated as a terrorist organization by Iran, Japan, New Zealand and the United States. The U.S. Department of State said that, “Jundallah, which was designated as an FTO and SDGT in 2010, began using the new name Jaysh al-Adl and associated aliases in 2012.” It has been linked to and taken credit for numerous acts of terror, kidnappings and the smuggling of narcotics. According to many sources, the group was linked to Al-Qaeda.