KIRKUK: Masked nationalist insurgents in Iraq said that they have begun talks with US forces, after | A weekend meeting of Sunni tribal sheikhs called for the restoration of ousted leader Saddam Hussein. |
An Iraqi calling himself Abdel Rahman Abu Khula said his movement, a group of former Baath party officials and army officers known as the Islamic Army, would not meet the Iraqi government. “In reality, we only negotiate with the ruling power in Iraq and that is the occupier,” he said. “Today it is us and the Americans who are controlling the situation in Iraq.” A US military spokesman had no immediate comment on the claim, which AFP cannot independently verify.
Abu Khula said his group represents some 17 nationalist insurgent organisations, and is seeking the withdrawal of US forces and the release of detainees from US and Iraqi government prisons. “The Americans have now decided to talk with us due to the escalation of our heroic deeds and the development of our explosives technology for use against their vehicles and bases,” he claimed.