In a message posted to Islamist websites on Wednesday, Al-Qaeda's commander in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi decried the international conference on Iraq's reconstruction taking place in Brussels, describing its participants as "enemies of Allah who have gathered to destroy Iraq". "What kind of rebuilding can there be at the moment when the Americans are being routed and and are smelling the scent of their destruction in the country of the two rivers?" the message continued.
"They are looking for someone who can save them from defeat and the damage they have endured. But victory will come, just as your death is a certainty," the message adds. In the communique, al-Zarqawi's group announces that it will continue its armed struggle in Iraq, despite the growing troop reinforcements that the US is sending to replace soldiers who have been killed. Al-Zarqawi's current wheareabouts are unknown, but US intelligence sources believe he may be in Iran.
Leading members of Iraq's transitional government, along with some 85 delegations from various countries and organisations are attending the one-day Brussels conference, sponsored by the European Union and the United States. It aims to help establish the priorities for the political, economic and social reconstruction of the war-torn country. |