Perfect Result: Hamas destroys Al-Qaida faction - Update 1

Jund Ansar Allah group was armed by Fatah operatives, Hamas claims

Jund Ansar Allah is one of several tiny radical Islamist groups that have popped up in the Gaza Strip in the past few years. These groups have openly challenged the Hamas government on the grounds that it has not imposed Islamic law (Shari'a).

The radical groups want to see a regime similar to the one in Sudan and other Islamic countries, where thieves have their arms amputated and those found guilty of adultery are stoned to death. Some have claimed that these groups are either linked to or inspired by al-Qaida, but so far there is no evidence to back up their claim. Hamas officials, however, say that many of the leaders and members of these groups were in fact affiliated with the former Fatah-controlled security forces or with militias belonging to Fatah in the Gaza Strip.

A senior Hamas official told The Jerusalem Post over the weekend that Jund Ansar Allah received its weapons from former Fatah policemen and security officials in the southern Gaza Strip. The official said he did not rule out the possibility that Fatah leaders in the West Bank were trying to use radical Islamic groups to undermine the Hamas government.

This was not the first time that an extremist group has engaged in an armed confrontation with Hamas. In the past, Hamas managed to crush other groups such as Ansar Bet al-Maqdes, Tawheed and Jihad, Army of Islam and Jund Muhammad.