| A group led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden and said it was in contact with al Qaeda over operations in Iraq, according to an Internet statement posted Sunday. "With the advent of the month of Ramadan and the need for Muslims to unify ranks in the face of the enemy ... We announce that the Tawhid and Jihad Group, its prince and soldiers, have pledged allegiance to the sheikh of the mujahideen (holy fighters) Osama bin Laden," said the statement. "Sheikh Abu Musab was in contact with the brothers in al Qaeda for eight months, exchanging points of view, then contact was interrupted only to be restored again and the brothers in al Qaeda understood Tawhid and Jihad Group's strategy in (Iraq)," said the statement, which was dated Sunday. |