Main Iraqi Opposition Factions

Kurdistan Democratic Party www.kdp.pp.se

The Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) was founded in 1946 and is now headed by Massoud Barzani, the son of Mustafa Barzani, a historical figure of the revolt of Iraqi Kurds.

The party controls the northern part of the Kurdish autonomous zone, at the Iraqi-Turkish border. Its main resource is the taxes it imposes on the trade between Turkey and Iraq. The KDP has close ties with Turkey. It also has good relations with the US administration and has never stopped its dialogue with the Iraqi regime. Upon the clashes with its rival party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, it called on the Iraqi troops for support.

Patriotic Party of Kurdistan www.puk.org

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is headed by Jalal Talbani . It controls the southern part of the Kurdish autonomous zone, at the Iraqi-Iranian border. It split from the KDP in 1974 and has been in conflict with it ever since. In 1996 it was driven out from Irbil, the capital of the Kurdish autonomous zone, by the Iraqi and Kurdish troops of the KDP.

Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution www.sciri.com

The Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) was founded in 1982 in Iran. It is headed by Sayyed Mohammed Baker al-Hakim. Originally unifying the Islamic movement in Iraq, its main competitor is now the Dawaa party. Based in Iran, it has a military branch of about 20 thousand men called the Bader Brigade. The support it receives from Iran makes the US administration wary of it.

Islamic Daawa Party www.dawaaparty.com

It is based in Iran and headed by Mohammad al-Asafi. Founded in 1957, it is the oldest Shiite movement of Iraq. One of its main founders was Ayatollah Mohammad Baqer al-Sader who was killed by the Iraqi regime in 1980. It plays an important role in the opposition to the Iraqi regime.

Iraqi National Congress www.inc.com

The INC is an opposition coalition based in London. It includes several opposition parties among which are the two main Kurdish parties. It was founded in 1992 upon a US initiative. The leader of its executive committee is Ahmad Chalabi. Under Kurdish pressure, it aimed to establish a federation in Iraq. It was weakened by the rivalry between the two main Kurdish parties and by the protests of the Shiite parties, the Dawaa and the SCIRI, which asked for more important representation within the congress.

National Accord Movement www.wifaq.com

Headed by Iyad Mohammed Alawi, an old Baath member, the National Accord Movement (NAM) is based in Jordan. It was created in 1990 by Saudi Intelligence and is mainly made up of defectors from the Iraqi armed forces. It was infiltrated and smashed by the Iraqi regime in 1996.

Iraqi Communist Party www.iraqcp.org

Founded in 1934, it is one of the oldest and most important communist parties in the Arab world and the only Iraqi party that had a massive audience including Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds. Based in London and in Kurdistan, its leaders are Aziz Mouhammad and Hamid Majid Moussa.