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Zarqawi rejects amnesty offer
A militant group led by Jordanian rebel Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has rejected a call from the new Iraqi president to lay down its arms.Iraqi President Jalal Talabani was an agent of the U.S., the group said, and he would never be forgiven for his "infidelity" and "spilling of the blood of Muslims". The statement, which could not be independently verified, was posted on a website used by Islamist militants. Talabani had said that some insurgents could be offered an amnesty. Al-Zarqawi, Iraq's most wanted rebel, has claimed responsibility for many bombings and beheadings in Iraq. Speaking on Thursday after being sworn in as the Iraqi leader, President Talabani said: "We must find a political and peaceful solution with Iraqis who have been led astray by terrorism." Insurgents, he said, "should be invited to participate in the democratic process", the Agencie France Presse news agency reported. If their crimes were not too serious, they could be offered an amnesty, he added. The Internet statement from al-Zarqawi's group, issued in the name of the al-Qaeda Organization for Holy War in Iraq, said the president had called on militants to "enter into atheism, polytheism and the political game", BBC News reports. "We only reserve the sword for you, agents of Jews and Crusaders. We will never give up jihad until Islamic law is established," the statement said. Posted by: Dan Darling 2005-04-10 |
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