[10] According to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the group consisted of Kurdish veterans of Jihad who had gone to Afghanistan to fight alongside Taliban against the Soviet invasion in the 80s.

Human Rights Watch has accused Ansar al-Islam of committing atrocities against the civilian population in the territory which they controlled.

It has been alleged that Ansar al-Islam harshly persecuted the Yarsan religious minority, and enforced strict Islamic law.

Human Rights Watch also accused Ansar al-Islam fighters of torturing prisoners and summarily executing captured PUK soldiers.

American intelligence personnel inspected the suspected chemical weapons site in Sargat and discovered traces of Ricin in the ruins, as well as potassium chloride.