Despite the fact that most of the Iraqi Sunni insurgency have refused to join the recent umbrella formation and are edging closer to the tribes involved in a tentative dialogue with the Baghdad government, the group's emir Abu Omar al-Baghdadi is Press Release: To the Arch-Crusader Reynolds - Please include us in your blogroll!
"In this phase during which we are dealing fierce blows to the crusaders" said a spokesman for the group, with his face covered,
Just like their womenfolk
"it is time to create a government of the Islamic state by naming the ministers. It is the first Islamic government that will launch anathemas [curses] against the tyrants and will conduct a Jihad for the application of Sharia law."
Oh, the irony
In the video, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi is confirmed as emir or head of the group. Abu Abdel Rahman al-Falahi will deal with the Baghdad government, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, will coordinate jihadi activities as 'war minister'. Abu Uthman al-Tamimi, familiar to Islamist cybernauts for a web lecture in recent weeks on Sharia (Islamic law) and Jihad, has been named minister for application of Sharia. The other portfolios of the mock executive include public relations, internal security, oil, health, information. There is also a minister dedicated to suicide bombers and their families.
The Minister Of Boom!
The names given are code-names or noms-de-guerre but tend to link each individual to one of the most important Sunni tribes in Iraq, a sign that the al-Qaeda organisation feels the need to show that it is not a foreign body in the ongoing insurgency as other groups, which shun it, would argue.
Covered faces and code-named: These are the Lions of Islam.
The Islamic State of Iraq announced its creation last October and al-Baghdadi named four other militant groups as adherents and added that insurgents in 15 cities had pledged allegiance.
How does one pledge allegiance to a web server?