Mohammad's Army (Jaish-e-Mohammad): A guerilla organization operating in Iraq against U.S-led coalition forces.
The makeup of Mohammad's Army and the details concerning it are conjecture. Reports indicate that former members of Saddam Hussein's security forces form the organization's leadership, although it appears to operate under the guise of an Islamist organization. It is most active between Baghdad and Ramadi and is believed to specialize in attacks on low-flying aircraft and helicopters using shoulder-fired missiles.
Members of Mohammad's Army and a possibly related organization, the Armed Vanguards of Mohammad's Second Army, have taken responbility for several attacks in videotapes aired on Arabic television networks. These include the bombing of the U.N headquarters on August 19, 2003, the assasination of Governing Council member Aquila al-Hashimi, and the shooting down of a Chinook helicopter on November 2, 2003 that killed 15 U.S soldiers. The men on the videotape taking responsibility for the Chinook downing appear masked and provide a statement studded with frequent Koranic references and spoken in a North African dialect. This suggests foreign fighters may form much of Mohammad's Army's membership.
