Pro-Government Militias
Saddam Kurdish Militia-Jash (Iraq)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | yes |
| PGM ID Number: | 231 |
| Country: | Iraq |
| Date formed: | Sept. 22, 1987 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The first mention of the group dates back to September 1987. |
| Date dissolved: | April 9, 2003 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | In March 1991, during the Sha'aban Intifada/the National Uprising, most Jash defected and joined the Kurdish Peshmerga and guerilla fighting the army. One month later, in April, most re-joined the army for economic motives. The group is therefore an interrupted PGM. The PGM is coded definitely terminated in 2003 after the fall of the regime. Immediately afterwards, Jash members were still active and tried to commit violence against civilians. There is no more mention of the group being active after April 2003. |
| Termination Type(s): | change in government |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | no information |
| Former Armed Group? | no information |
| Former Rebel Group? | no information |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | no | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | state (institution) |
| If link to party, name of party: | None |
| Training and Equipment: | no |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ethnic |
| Primary Membership: | ethnic |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Kirkuk |
| Force Strength: | [50000, 300000] |
| Target(s): | rebels, insurgents, or other armed group; foreign military |
| Purpose(s): | protect state, national or religious institutions |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | Kurds (Iraq) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | given |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | The Jash were an interrupted PGM. It was pro-government from 1987-09-22 – 1991-03-01 and again from 1991-04-05 – 2003-04-09. They were also sometimes called revolutionaries. The term “jash” is a derogatory expression meaning donkey. Members were considered renegades as they fought for the central government which oppressed the Kurds. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The main purpose of the Saddam Kurdish Militia was to fight alongside the army against domestic and foreign enemies. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | In 1992, jash members beat civilians, including children. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | beating |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | yes |
| PGM Members Paid? | yes |
| Reasons for Membership: | The main reason for joining the PGM was the monetary reward and salary members received. Being a jash was an important source of economic survival. One commander mentions having been forced to joining the PGM. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | In 1987, there were hundreds of regiments within the Saddam Kurdish Militia. After the end of the Iraq-Iran war, the jash had around 250,000 to 300,000 fighters. In 1991, at a conference, a group of jash members were said to represent 50,000 to 70,000 rifles. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | Saddam’s Kurdish Militia was well-armed. It had pistols, grenades, knives and AK-47s. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | After the Iran-Iraq war, the militia was transferred under the authority of the Interior Ministry. Some units were attacked to Republican Guards. In 2002, high ranking party and military official met the heads of the jashs and ordered them to carry out acts of sabotage and terrorism. The militia was also allegedly linked to the Iraqi intelligence. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.