Growing Chorus of Sunni Militants in Iraq Turn On Al-Qaida

| Print | E-mail

Last Updated (Monday, 29 November 1999 19:00) Written by Evan Kohlmann Thursday, 11 December 2008 19:00

The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated recent communiqués from two major Sunni insurgent groups active in Iraq, voicing their solidarity with and support for the Mujahideen Army in their ongoing war of words with the leader of Al-Qaida in Iraq Abu Hamza al-Muhajir. On November 6, the Saad Bin Abu Waqas Brigades (SBAW) issued a statement warning, “the brothers from [Al-Qaida] have, more than once, accused the mujahideen at large of being infidels, hypocrites, and apostates. This issue is dangerous and serves only the interests of the enemies of the Islamic nation. It weakens the mujahideen, igniting discord and conflicts amongst them, and it inspires treacherous decisions concerning the permissibility of [spilling] blood and [seizing] money… It spreads anarchy within the mujahideen… We express our astonishment and surprise at the repeated targeting of the mujahideen and the doubts raised about them without any proof… We call upon the brothers from [Al-Qaida] to refrain from abandoning the mujahideen, targeting them, and placing them in the circle of the infidels, apostates, and hypocrites without any evidence or proof. We believe that this action will only support the interests of the enemies of Islam and jihad.” Days later, on November 11, the commanders of the Al-Fatihin Army in Iraq also published their own reaction to “Abu Hamza al-Muhajir’s fabrications… The threats that he has made to some of these [insurgent] factions represent one of the most critical factors in weakening the jihad, wasting the lives of mujahideen, and causing quarreling and infighting amongst them—leading to bloodshed and the wasting of financial resources. This serves nothing but the interests of the enemies of Islam… especially when the accusations are coming from one of the commanders of the jihad and its symbols.” The Al-Fatihin Army added, “concerning [Abu Hamza’s] claim that he had notified the [insurgent] factions about the declaration of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) beforehand—we had no clue about this development, and learned of it only after it was published in the media.”

- November 6 statement from the Saad Bin Abu Waqas Brigades (SBAW)
- November 11 statement from the Al-Fatihin Army