Terrorists unite to plot Iraqi civil war

[ECH1969]

A TERRORIST mastermind has united insurgent groups in Baghdad to target the Iraqi Shia Muslim community with the aim of bringing civil war to Iraq, The Times has learnt.

According to US military intelligence sources, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the man responsible for the bloodiest acts of terror in Iraq over the past two years, now commands thousands of fighters from various rival groups and is set to order further waves of bombings.

Yesterday the self-styled “emir” of Iraq was blamed for a dozen co-ordinated bombings in Baghdad that killed 152 people, the single worst death toll in the city since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Most of the dead were poor Shia labourers killed by a huge car bomb in a busy square. “The al-Qaeda organisation in Mesopotamia is declaring all-out war on the Rafidha , wherever they are in Iraq."

Last night the threat was being taken seriously by US and Iraqi officials, who have offered a $25 million reward for his capture. “We have got reason to believe that al-Zarqawi has now been given tactical command in the city over groups that have had to merge under him for the sake of survival,” an American intelligence officer in Baghdad told The Times yesterday.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1781036,00.html

[dbt]

1. Coming Soon: A Missile Into The Green Zone

Of course, there won't be enough of it left to determine where it was made.

Remember New Orleans.

[Lindacooks]

2. See? Bush was right! He is a

uniter!

[cyberpj]

3. My new bumpersticker - Feeling Safer Yet? nt.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

4. Civil War? In Iraq? C'mon, who would have thought....

:eyes:

[FlemingsGhost]

5. Uh huh ... Zarqawi. So says the nameless intel officer.

:eyes:

[bemildred]

6. "US intelligence sources continue to lie about evil genius al Zarqawi." nt

[slay]

7. Terrorists: We would like to thank Mr. Bush for giving us this opportunity

Good job declaring war when no war was called for and then having no plan to keep the peace Bush you idiot. :mad:

[Autonomy]

8. Terrorists unite to plot Iraqi civil war

From Anthony Loyd in Baghdad

A TERRORIST mastermind has united insurgent groups in Baghdad to target the Iraqi Shia Muslim community with the aim of bringing civil war to Iraq, The Times has learnt.

According to US military intelligence sources, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the man responsible for the bloodiest acts of terror in Iraq over the past two years, now commands thousands of fighters from various rival groups and is set to order further waves of bombings.

Yesterday the self-styled “emir” of Iraq was blamed for a dozen co-ordinated bombings in Baghdad that killed 152 people, the single worst death toll in the city since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Most of the dead were poor Shia labourers killed by a huge car bomb in a busy square.

“The al-Qaeda organisation in Mesopotamia is declaring all-out war on the Rafidha , wherever they are in Iraq,” said the 38-year-old in an audio message released on an Islamic website. He urged Sunni Muslims to “wake up from your slumber” and joint the fight.


More: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1781036,00.html

[underpants]

9. "I don' think anyone anticipated that the....."

:eyes:

[JuniperLea]

11. hehehe!

touche

[ECH1969]

10. This means civil war

Last night the threat was being taken seriously by US and Iraqi officials, who have offered a $25 million reward for his capture. “We have got reason to believe that al-Zarqawi has now been given tactical command in the city over groups that have had to merge under him for the sake of survival,” an American intelligence officer in Baghdad told The Times yesterday.

An intelligence summary, citing the conglomeration of insurgent groups under the al-Qaeda banner to be the result of rebel turf wars, money, weaponry and fear, concluded that of the estimated 16,000 Sunni Muslim insurgents, 6,700 were hardcore Islamic fundamentalists who were now supplemented by a possible further 4,000 members after an amalgamation with Jaysh Muhammad, previously an insurgent group loyal to the former Baathist regime.

Al-Zarqawi’s rise to supremacy will cast a long shadow in the run up to the October 15 referendum on Iraq’s new constitution and general elections due in December.

[enigma000]

12. Only if the Sunni want a civil war

I suspect the Kurds would much rather live peacefully with their autonomy and their oil wealth. The Arab Shiites have shown little desire for a civil war either (they also sit on an oil rich piece of real estate)

It all depends if the Sunni can learn to play nice and come to terms with no longer being the dominant faction in Iraqi politics. Else they will be left with a oil-less, impoverished, isolated part of the country, with the fate of being falluja-ed over and over and over again.

[eissa]

14. Please

Would you sit back and allow your country to balkanized, with certain sects (with the backing of a major superpower) carving up a country and its wealth and leaving you with nothing? To make matters worse, your country is also morphing into a theocracy headed by a puppet regime. And you want them to "play nice."

[MasonJar]

13. We and the SHITES are nuts; greed and power magnified. If

the Sunnis were listened to and if we withdrew our occupying forces, Iraqi could probably become a reasonable place for people to live. Bus when 40% of the people, especially those used to be in charge, find themselves totally gutted the results could spell disaster.

[enigma000]

15. Haven't the Shiites been reasonable?

The Shiites haven't declared war on the Sunni. In fact, the Shiites have kept their militias in check and not retaliated against the Sunni.

The Kurds have willingly formed a power-sharing alliance with the Shiites. That makes 80% of the population.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=17952

Efforts to push through war-torn Iraq's constitution received a boost after the autonomous Kurdistan Parliament approved the charter even as Sunni Arabs kept up their opposition.

Iraqi Kurdistan's regional Parliament passed the draft charter saying it was a "big step" for the Kurds.

As for me, what I wouldn't do is suicide bomb my fellow citizens because their are of a difference faith than mine.