Most Iraqi Kurds blame Ansar al-Islam, an Afghan-trained group of Kurdish Islamists, which the Americans say has links to al-Qaeda, or Yemenis abetted by local Ansaris.
In October 2007, the Dallas Morning News reported on warnings from Kurds in northern Iraq of Iranian support for an al-Qaeda affiliate, Ansar al-Islam, in their region of Iraq.
Ansar al-Islam (Supporters of Islam) was established in December 2001 after a merger between Jund al-Islam, led by Abu Abdallah al-Shafi'i and an Islamic Movement splinter group led by Mullah Krekar.