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Over 1,000 Iraqis protest al-Qaeda in Samarra
More than 1,000 protesters hit the streets of Samara, some 125km north of the capital, Baghdad, this week to demonstrate against al-Qaida militants blamed for killing more than 100 local police recruits this month. The demonstration on 24 January, organised by the Iraqi Islamic Party and the Muslim Scholars' Association, is the first of its kind to specifically condemn the al-Qaida group for alleged terrorist attacks. "They have to stop killing innocent people like recruits, journalists and children," demanded protest organiser Kamal Ahmed. "If they don't stop, we'll fight them directly," Ahmed added angrily.Even self-described insurgents, locked in bitter fighting with US and Iraqi military forces, joined in the condemnation. "We work against the US occupation without hurting innocents," said Abu Omar of the insurgent Islamic Army. "If al-Qaida is against the ideology behind the insurgency, it's time to force them out of our country." "We will kill the militants to show how far we will go to save the lives of innocent people," Abu Omar added. "Everyone started to see that we have to work together to bring progress to Iraq," said Hussein Sardawi, a senior official in the Ministry of Interior. "Al-Qaida is the only group that wants to bring instability to our country. We're happy with the decision to work against al-Qaida," Sardawi said. "But we're also worried that this might result in the deaths of more innocent people." Similar anti-al-Qaida demonstrations are planned in the cities of Ramadi and Baghdad in the coming days. Posted by: Dan Darling 2006-01-27 |
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