| White Flags | |
|---|---|
| Kurdish:ئاڵا سپییەکان | |
.jpg) Variant flag of the White Flags[1] | |
| Leaders |
|
| Dates of operation | 2017–2018 |
| Headquarters | Tuz Khurmatu |
| Active regions | NorthernIraq |
| Size | 500–1,000[5] |
| Part of |  Ansar al-Islam(Iraqi gov. claim)[3] |
| Allies |  Islamic State |
| Opponents | |
| Battles and wars | |
| Designated as a terrorist group by |  Iraq[8] |
TheWhite Flags (Kurdish:ئاڵا سپییەکان,romanized: Alên Spî), also known asSufyaniyyun (Kurdish:سوفیانیون,romanized: Sufyanîyûn),[9][10] was an alleged Kurdish militant group in Iraq, and an offshoot ofAnsar al-Islam, based in thedisputed territories of northern Iraq.[11] Their first purported appearance was during theBattle of Kirkuk in October 2017, when the federal government regained control of disputed territories which were taken by the Kurdistan Regional Government.[12][13]
Iraqi civil and military officials as well as regional experts, claim that the White Flags are aKurdish nationalist or separatist faction which was founded in response to theIraqi takeover of Kirkuk, with its members referring to themselves as "the Kurdish resistance".[14] American defense and military officials also said that it "appears to be a union of Kurdish terrorists and former ISIS fighters", or a union of KurdishISIS andAnsar al-Islam remnants.[14] Iraqi intelligence, andBill Roggio, said that the group appeared to be an attempt at rebranding by a faction of Ansar al-Islam, or even a local Kurdish movement to oppose the Iraqi government. The Iraqi government said that the White Flags are afront organization ofAnsar al-Islam.[3][15]
All those claims was supported by the fact that the White Flags leader and founder,Assi al-Qawali, was a religious figure and a staunchKDP supporter. He also had close ties toMullah Krekar. The variant flag of the White Flags had "Ansar al-Islam movement" written on top of it.[16]
The White Flags are considered to be aterrorist organization by Iraqi officials. In late 2017, anIraqi Turkmen MP accused Kurdish leaders of supporting the group. This was denied by the Kurdistan Regional Government.[17] The group's leader Hiwa Chor, a one-eyed militant,[18] was a former member ofal-Qaeda in Iraq but disagreed with their international Caliphate plans so he left the organization.[7] The group uses variousguerilla tactics such asambushes and utilizesIEDs. It also uses mortars and rockets. The group operates in and aroundTuz Khurmatu and has launched frequent attacks on oil fields and routes in the area.[5] The White Flags usually target establishments affiliated with Turkmen or Shia Arab political parties.[19]
Kurds generally believed that the Iraqi government had entirely fabricated the existence of the White Flags, or at least heavily exaggerated it. Nevertheless, the group disappeared in 2018 when the situation in thedisputed territories stabilised.[20]
