Friday, March 23, 2007
Islamic State of Iraq denies Fallujah chlorine bombs, threatens tribes
Insurgency, Tribal
(SITE) The Islamic State of Iraq issued a statement on March 22, 2007, denying responsibility for targeting “the general people with poison gas” and claiming military operations against an Iraqi police station in Amiriyat al-Fallujah, Anbar province, on March 20. In what is likely a reference to the detonation of three chlorine-filled trucks in Anbar province March 16, the group calls accusations of their involvement in the attack part of an information campaign aimed at tarnishing the jihad of the Islamic State, and more broadly, the image of the “blessed global jihad.” The group asks how any “sane” person can believe that the Islamic State is targeting its own people as so many move to join their military ranks.
The statement also details the raid of an Iraqi police station in Amiriyat al-Fallujah on March 20, in which “no less than 35” policemen were killed. The group claims to be coordinating operations with the “al-Bu Eisa al-Asila” tribe. Though the tribe is praised for offering their best young men to “the fields of jihad” since the beginning of the occupation, it is noted that some have joined government forces in opposing the Islamic State. One member of the tribe, the late Commander Abu al-Harith al-Eisawi, is honored in the statement; his role as a “lion” in the second battle of Fallujah is noted. The statement reminds “defectors,” namely the “al-Anbar savior council,” a coalition of tribes opposing the Islamic State in Anbar province, that their fate will be the same as the “betrayers” at Amiriyat al-Fallujah.
The statement also details the raid of an Iraqi police station in Amiriyat al-Fallujah on March 20, in which “no less than 35” policemen were killed. The group claims to be coordinating operations with the “al-Bu Eisa al-Asila” tribe. Though the tribe is praised for offering their best young men to “the fields of jihad” since the beginning of the occupation, it is noted that some have joined government forces in opposing the Islamic State. One member of the tribe, the late Commander Abu al-Harith al-Eisawi, is honored in the statement; his role as a “lion” in the second battle of Fallujah is noted. The statement reminds “defectors,” namely the “al-Anbar savior council,” a coalition of tribes opposing the Islamic State in Anbar province, that their fate will be the same as the “betrayers” at Amiriyat al-Fallujah.
Labels: al-Anbar savior council, al-Bu Eisa al-Asila, Albu Issa tribe, chlorine bombs, Fallujah, Islamic State of Iraq, tribes
