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| Iraq |
| Al Qaeda Front Group in Iraq Threatens to Go to War With Iran |
| 2007-07-09 |
| The leader of an Al Qaeda umbrella group in Iraq threatened to wage war against Iran unless it stops supporting Shiites in Iraq within two months, according to an audiotape. Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, who leads the group Islamic State in Iraq , said his Sunni fighters have been preparing for four years to wage a battle against Shiite-dominated Iran. "We are giving the Persians, and especially the rulers of Iran, a two-month period to end all kinds of support for the Iraqi Shiite government and to stop direct and indirect intervention ... otherwise a severe war is waiting for you," he said in the 50-minute audiotape released Sunday. The tape, which could not be independently verified, was posted on a Web site commonly used by insurgent groups. Iraq's Shiite-led government is backed by the U.S. but closely allied to Iran. The United States accuses Iran of arming and financing Shiite militias in Iraq — charges Tehran denies. In the recording, al-Baghdadi also gave Sunnis and Arab countries doing business in Iran or with Iranians a two-month deadline to cease their ties. "We advise and warn every Sunni businessman inside Iran or in Arab countries especially in the Gulf not to take partnership with any Shiite Iranian businessman — this is part of the two-month period," he said. Al-Baghdadi said his group was responsible for two suicide truck bomb attacks in May in Iraq's northern Kurdish region. He said the attacks in Irbil and Makhmur showed the "Islamic jihad," or holy war, was progressing in the Kurdish areas. At least 14 people were killed when a suicide truck bomb struck a government building in Irbil, Kurdistan's capital, on May 9. Four days later in Makhmur, another suicide truck bomb tore through the offices of a Kurdish political party, killing 50 people. In the recording, the Islamic State of Iraq leader did not mention Saturday's deadly truck bomb in Armili, a Shiite town north of Baghdad, which killed more than 100 people. The attack was among the deadliest this year in Iraq and reinforced suspicions that Al Qaeda extremists were moving north to less protected regions beyond the U.S. security crackdown in Baghdad. Al-Baghdadi criticized Kurdish leaders for their alliance with Shiites in Iraq's government and accused them encouraging unsavory morals. "The leaders of apostasy ... have impeded the march of Islam in Muslim Kurdistan and helped communism and secularism to spread. ... They insulted the religious scholars ... encouraged vices and women without veils," he said. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #18 This is crap. The Iranians are supporting AQI and have been for years. Maybe not to the same degree as their boy Tater, but the support has been there. AQI is targeting and killing Americans. They destabilize the nascent government of Iraq. They sow sectarian discord. All of this works, eventually, in Iran's favor if the US finally pulls out. At that point the Iranians can pull the plug on AQI and kill them all with impunity. Then they have defacto control over Iraq. Of course this assumes Turkey, KSA and Kuwait do nothing. |
| Posted by: remoteman 2007-07-09 18:46 |
| #17 Helmuth, it is not a matter of supplying weapons. I am sure they've got enough as it is. What I meant is the type of work that would result in something akin to AQ and Iran calling each other "a certifiable American spies". Of course, this can be expanded not only vis-a-vis, but withing camps themselves. And supplying intel on movement of each side to the other side. Machiavelli is my middle name. ;-) |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2007-07-09 16:29 |
| #16 A commenter mentioned secretly arming Al Qaeda in a fight with Iran. That is madness. Al Qaeda will kill us at the same time they are killing Iranians with those arms. Lets hope the CIA doesn't try that stunt, or those who do should face murder charges WHEN those weapons on turned on us. Let the Islamic "radicals" cut each other's throats, but that should not stop us from going keep the heat on them as well. That only speeds the demise of both groups, to our complete benefit. |
| Posted by: Helmuth, Speaking for Chusoling1715 2007-07-09 15:17 |
| #15 Wheels within wheels lads. We need to be the master's of chaos and sow the seeds of mistrust amongst the enemy. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2007-07-09 15:05 |
| #14 If some naughty person were to spread a rumour that Imonajihad was caving into AlQada's demands with his crackdowns on women, it might work in the wests interest. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2007-07-09 14:36 |
| #13 My only concern is that they might target Iran peoples in Iraq. Otherwise, beers on me boys! |
| Posted by: Icerigger 2007-07-09 14:28 |
| #12 C'mon, JQC! Ya fell for it! That's what they want us to believe, so we can follow the NYT and pull out sooner. They can't possibly be dumb enough to direct their fury at Iran! |
| Posted by: Bobby 2007-07-09 14:20 |
| #11 The irony of a terrorist organization attempting to sideline one of terrorism's biggest sponsors is difficult to appreciate adequately. The Byzantine labyrinth of mideast muslim politics is truly mind-boggling. If AQ wants to war with Iran, they should. AQ is our enemy. AQ brought us 911 and the flight into the Pentagon, and a crashed plane in Pennsylvania. However, I can see there might be some strategic benefits to Iraq if AQ turns their murderous mindset and guns against Iran. Both AQ and Iran will be distracted from Iraq while Iraq settles. Things are getting interesting if this is real. The rats might move into Iran from Iraq. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2007-07-09 14:02 |
| #10 Somebody pinch me, willya? I must be dreaming. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2007-07-09 14:01 |
| #9 You just can't make this stuff up. |
| Posted by: Angaiger Tojo1904 2007-07-09 13:49 |
| #8 Truly precious. Just when you think Islamic crapulence can't get any This is going to be a cherry opportunity to see just how friable the MME (Muslim Middle East) actually is. While not much more than a turf battle between two crack dealers, Iran's further isolation will certainly be a plus. One can only hope that even a successful outcome for al Qaeda will not deter America from pursuing the necessary destruction of Iran's nuclear weapons R&D facilities. However, any substantial threat to Iran's quest for regional hegemony is a huge plus. That is should be accompanied by a widening rift between shiias and sunnis is iceing on the cake. I can only hope this presages an endless and costly battle of attrition between two of America's worst foes. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-07-09 13:23 |
| #7 Broadhead6, in secret, of course, in secret. ;-) |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2007-07-09 12:29 |
| #6 Now is the time for the U.S. to offer the AQ nutz all the logistical support they need (one way of course) to expeditiously get to Iran. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2007-07-09 11:30 |
| #5 He obviously reads the NYTs, especially Sunday's editorial where they advocate immediate surrender and retreat. The west-side eastern intellectual establishment (i.e. State department flunkies) has spoken and it is only a matter of time before Reid is emboldened again, with the help of Hagel, Domenici, Lugar, et.al. to force the POTUS hand. POTUS is very weak (immigration did him in for good). So, why not start positioning for post-USA create the necessary anarchistic vacuum so necessary for AQ to operate in unopposed. Of course, they are all a bunch of loonie idiots when it comes to geo-politics and even Iran is no pushover like Afghanistan, post-Soviets was. This plus Turkey ready to impose themselves on Kurdistan and the Sunnis looking to Syria and Saudi - we could finally have the big bang mid-east on fire scenario everyone has been predicting and waiting for. This could be the Mother of all popcorn wars. |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2007-07-09 11:01 |
| #4 But I don't want to wait 2 months! |
| Posted by: Captain Lewis 2007-07-09 10:00 |
| #3 I'm buying! |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2007-07-09 09:42 |
| #2 Buy those popcorn futures now... |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2007-07-09 09:40 |
| #1 Red on red! I love it. |
| Posted by: Mike 2007-07-09 09:23 |