Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Sunni resistance groups ask al Qaeda to stop attack on Shiites
Security
(Azzaman) - Differences between armed groups fighting the U.S. in Iraq have come to the open and the groups are reported to be resorting to force to settle disputes. In the restive Province of Diyala, a major stronghold for the Iraqi insurgency, most armed groups are said to have joined forces against al-Qaeda which is behind the majority of devastating car and suicide bombs in Iraq.
The groups are said to be unhappy with the way Qaeda is operating particularly its attacks on Muslim Shiites in Baghdad and elsewhere. The armed groups involved in fighting are Muslim Sunnis which until recently have been the only ones attacking U.S. troops. But in the past few months, several Shiite armed groups specifically formed to oppose the U.S. occupation have emerged and on the fourth anniversary of the U.S. invasion hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Shiites demonstrated against the U.S. presence in the country.
Many Sunni armed groups are keen to see Iraqi resistance spreading among Muslim Shiites and have requested Qaeda to halt attacks targeting Shiite civilians. U.S. and Iraqi troops are taking a wait-and-see attitude and are apparently happy to see their enemies killing each other. The Americans are busy filming the battles and Iraqi officers with access to U.S. footage and insurgent groups say scores of armed men from both sides have been killed or injured.
The groups are said to be unhappy with the way Qaeda is operating particularly its attacks on Muslim Shiites in Baghdad and elsewhere. The armed groups involved in fighting are Muslim Sunnis which until recently have been the only ones attacking U.S. troops. But in the past few months, several Shiite armed groups specifically formed to oppose the U.S. occupation have emerged and on the fourth anniversary of the U.S. invasion hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Shiites demonstrated against the U.S. presence in the country.
Many Sunni armed groups are keen to see Iraqi resistance spreading among Muslim Shiites and have requested Qaeda to halt attacks targeting Shiite civilians. U.S. and Iraqi troops are taking a wait-and-see attitude and are apparently happy to see their enemies killing each other. The Americans are busy filming the battles and Iraqi officers with access to U.S. footage and insurgent groups say scores of armed men from both sides have been killed or injured.
Labels: Al Qaeda, Diyala, Iraqi resistance, Shiite armed groups
