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Zarqawi's been reined in?
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.
Yummy, red-on-red.
Another Kuwaiti daily, Al-Qabas, quoted Gulf intelligence sources as saying that Zarqawi's group had recently requested help in the form of "money and men" from unnamed Gulf groups. The request was made after US and Iraqi forces managed to strike the group and cut its supply lines, the paper said. It was the second report in recent days of moves by Iraqi militant groups to unite. On Sunday, a statement posted on an Islamist website said a "unified command of the "mujahedeen" in Iraq had been formed as an umbrella for 10 groups, but its authenticity could not be independently verified.
Posted by: Dan Darling 2004-10-04
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=45019