Islamic Front for Armed Jihad

The Islamic Front for Armed Jihad (French name, Front Islamique du Djihad Armé, hence the abbreviation FIDA) was a militant Islamist organization active during the Algerian Civil War. It was founded in 1993^[a] when it split from the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria (GIA), under the leadership of Muhammad Said.^[1][2][3] Coming from the Djaz'ara (Algerianist) wing,^[4] it called for the violent overthrow of the secular Algerian government, and a system of government based on shari'a law.

Islamic Front for Armed Jihad
Leaders	Muhammad Said
Dates of operation	1993-July 21, 1996
Split from	Armed Islamic Group of Algeria
Merged into	Islamic Movement for Preaching and Jihad
Ideology	Islamism Algerian nationalism
Allies	Movement for an Islamic State
Opponents	Algerian government
Battles and wars	Algerian Civil War

It became notorious for its killings of intellectuals, including politicians and journalists.^[1][2] These included the killing of Kasdi Merbah and of the head of the UGTA union.^[5]

On July 21, 1996, it merged under the auspices of Mustapha Kartali with the Movement for an Islamic State (MEI) and other splinter factions of the GIA to form the Islamic Movement for Preaching and Jihad (MIPD).