Al-Qaeda in Iraq released a recording purportedly of its leader, who had been reported killed in recent fighting, criticizing the country's largest Sunni party and branding its chief, Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, a "criminal" for participating in the government. The statement by Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri, was seen as a warning to Sunnis not to take part in the political process that could legitimize the Shiite-led government and its U.S. backers. Al-Hashemi has resisted calls by fellow leaders of the main Sunni alliance to pull out of the government.The al-Masri statement, posted on a militant Web site, did not directly address reports from Iraqi officials that the al-Qaeda leader was killed Tuesday by rivals north of Baghdad. The U.S. military declined to confirm the report of al-Masri's death and believed it stemmed from confusion over the killing of another al-Qaeda militant.
There was no indication when the 20-minute statement released Saturday was recorded, although a transcript posted on the Web site was dated Saturday. It could not be independently verified. In the statement Saturday, al-Masri sharply criticized al-Hashemi for taking part in politics and legitimizing the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whose U.S.-backed security forces are fighting Sunni insurgents and al-Qaeda militants. "This criminal relentlessly calls for the occupier to remain," he said, referring to al-Hashemi. Last week, al-Hashemi spoke to U.S. President George W. Bush in a phone call to discuss the Sunni threats to leave the Cabinet.
An insurgent statement in March, calling Deputy Prime Minister Salam al-Zubaie a stooge "to the crusader occupiers," was followed a day later by an assassination attempt against the highest-ranking Sunni government official. That statement, which was made by the al-Qaeda front group, the Islamic State of Iraq, also singled out al-Hashemi. The latest statement, however, did not calling for attacks against the Islamic Party, which, al-Masri said, would only distract his group from its fight against the Shiites and American forces. "The leaders of the Islamic Party are renegades but we make it clear that we don't want to fight them and be drawn into secondary battles that only serve the occupier and its Shiite associates," he said.