Foreign insurgents suspected of links to al-Qaeda are operating in the flashpoint city of Fallujah, fuelling fears that the terrorist network has established a firm foothold in Iraq. A well-armed group infiltrated the city before fighting erupted in March and is continuing to mount operations against the coalition and Westerners in the area, in defiance of leaders of Fallujah’s mosques, the army and the police force. The group, led by Abu Abdullah, a young Saudi, is linked to a spate of kidnappings of Westerners, particularly journalists. Its members include Wahabbi Muslims. Fallujah’s leaders, who follow different Islamic fundamentalist teachings, fear that the Saudis belong to an al-Qaeda cell seeking a final showdown between Islam and America in the Middle East.
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A senior sheikh in Fallujah said the group was "out of control", adding: "We are worried that they are part of al-Qaeda. That means that we will have to force them out and it will be hard. But this is our country we are fighting for, and it is our fight with the Americans. They have their own country and their own ideas which we do not share." Fallujah’s own independent militia, set up under the agreement with the Americans that ended a month-long battle for the city, is threatening to attack the Saudi group because of its persistent involvement in kidnappings and looting. At a recent meeting with Sheikh Dhaffer, Fallujah’s spiritual leader, Col Fahil al Janabi, the police chief, complained that his men were intimidated by the Mujahideen, including Saudis, who stalk the city. The Saudis were at first welcomed among the hundreds of foreign fighters who came to help Iraqis fighting against the coalition. They fought in the southern section of the city, where the marines met the stiffest resistance. In all, about a quarter of those fighting the Americans were foreigners: Syrian, Saudi, Palestinian and Tunisian. They helped the Iraqi Mujahideen - the collection of armed Islamic groups fighting the coalition - become better organised and equipped, aided by funds brought by the Saudi fighters.
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Although some of their arsenal was smuggled into the country, the most effective anti-tank weaponry was American: rockets and missiles which, the fighters claim, was either salvaged from downed helicopters and vehicles or obtained from traders. However, the Mujahideen are now losing patience with the radical Saudi fighters, whom they say are linked with al-Qaeda, because they are almost impossible to control. "They are not from here, they don’t share our beliefs and our aims," one Iraqi said. "We do not want them any more." The Mujahideen itself is under the direction of several Islamic fundamentalist parties, including the powerful Hyaat Olama a Muslimin, or Islamic Scientists Association. Talib Saha, a member of its political directive, said the party was now developing its political wing, drawing on the experiences of the IRA. "We like the way the IRA was able to enter in politics and have ministers in charge of government, like Martin McGuinness," he said. |