One of the most prominent anti-Coalition groups in Iraq, Ansar al-Islam (AI) is the product of a 2001 merger between various Kurdish militant Islamist factions. It maintains links to Al Qaida and elements of the group have also pledged allegiance to the Islamic State . AI's current goals are to expel all foreign forces from Iraq, counter the growing influence of Iraq's Shia and secular Kurdish communities, and to establish an independent Iraqi state governed by Sharia Law. In 2002, AI attempted to assassinate the Prime Minister of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan region of Kurdistan. In 2004, AI was responsible for a coordinated double suicide bombing on the respective headquarters of two Kurdish political parties that killed more than 60 people and wounded over 200 others. AI is also well-known for kidnapping and executing foreign hostages, often beheading their victims and posting video of the act on the Internet. On February 20, 2018, AI released a video on a Telegram channel displaying its Syria-based weapons development.