Iraq militants to form united front, rein in Zarqawi: report

Khaleej Times ^ | October 4, 2004 | AFP

[Jim Robinson]

KUWAIT CITY - Militant groups fighting US-led troops in Iraq plan to unite under one umbrella and rein in sectarian attacks by loyalists of suspected Al Qaeda operative Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, a Kuwaiti daily said Monday.

“Very soon, these groups will combine their efforts under a single jihad (holy war) banner, governed by a Shura (consultative) Council authorized” by religious scholars, the Al-Rai Al-Aam newspaper said citing sources “very close” to Iraqi “jihadi” groups.

The new grouping would command a total of “7,000 fighters spread all over Iraq,” the paper said.

Representatives of the Sunni militant groups are currently visiting a number of Islamic countries to consult with leading clerics about their plans, it added.

The proponents of the new alliance plan to demand an end to sectarian attacks by Zarqawi’s Unity and Holy War group, particularly againt Iraq’s Shiite majority, the paper said.

“If Zarqawi does not abandon his plans to instigate a sectarian rift, the groups will force him to do so even if that requires taking up arms against him,” the paper quoted one of its sources as saying.

A document released by the US military and said to be authored by Zarqawi set out plans to spark civil war in Iraq by attacking Shiite targets.

The Jordanian-born Islamist is blamed for some of the deadliest attacks in Iraq in recent months and has a 25-million-dollar US bounty on his head....

[oolatec]

Um... *shrugs*

[Coachm]

So some of these groups that have been fighting us are going to get rid of Zarqawi. Sounds good but what happens when they get rid of him? Do they go back to fighting us?

[bushfamfan]

Well, they have to gather in going after him so that is our sign to hit them while they're at it.

[NutCrackerBoy]

Sounds good but what happens when they get rid of him? Do they go back to fighting us?

Whole lotta killin' and dyin' goin' on, but not Coalition personnel or free Iraqis, so sounds win-win to me. If you must have a downside, it could be that the winner of these battles will gain face.

[FreeKeys]

Well, now we have the enemy's estimate of how many insurgents there are, 7,000. This means that out of a population of 25 million, about 2.8 percent OF ONE PERCENT (.00028) is how many (how few) there really are, if I'm not mistaken. This means only one out of every 3,572 Iraqis are insurgents, right? Can you math whizzes check my calculations, please?

[nightdriver]

"Very soon, these groups will combine their efforts under a single jihad (holy war) banner....."

Good!

The more organized they are, the easier they are to find.

[advance_copy]

The new grouping would command a total of “7,000 fighters spread all over Iraq,” the paper said.

Prime Minister Allawi commands 100,000 free Iraq security forces. President Bush commands 135,000 American troops in Iraq. I like the odds.

[rushmom]

It also means the Coaltion has killed thousands and now the 7000 that are left have to form one group. And now they might start killing each other.

[Steve_Seattle]

" . . . what happens when they get rid of him? Do they go back to fighting us?"

Yes.

[Robert_Paulson2]

Representatives of the Sunni militant groups are currently visiting a number of Islamic countries to consult with leading clerics about their plans

---

in other words...
they are abandoning Iraq... going home to Iran, Chechnya, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Syria.
it's over for a lot of jihadis... and they are buggin' out.

the 'moderate' jihadis who rocket children in a schoolyard,have now decided they won't stand up and die with zarquawi, who kidnaps and slits throats of the infidels... after all HE is a REAL radical. </sarcasm>

whoda thunk it, jihadis are consulting with their mullahs in other countries... "mullah O, how come allah's letting us get our asses kicked so bad? Samarra was such a bummer!"

[Billthedrill]

Representatives of the Sunni militant groups are currently visiting a number of Islamic countries to consult with leading clerics about their plans, it added.

Not that there's any foreign interference here or anything...

Afghanistan's message was: "provide overt state support for terrorist groups and you're toast." Iraq's was: "provide covert state support for terrorist groups and you're toast." This is beginning to dawn on the smart ones (Gadafi) but the dumb ones seem to need a little loving caress from a clue-by-four upside the head.

[Keith]

sounds like a target-rich environment to me...

[SunkenCiv]

I wonder if it might not be more productive to just tell everyone in Fallujah that the town is going to be leveled, then *!!!* level it from the air, gather up the survivors, put them to work digging out those buried under the rubble, then bulldoze the whole place into pile.

George W. Bush will be reelected by a margin of at least ten per cent