1920 Brigades Issue Frantic Denials of Any Role in U.S.-led Attacks on Diyala

By Evan Kohlmann

The 1920 Revolution Brigades--a prominent Sunni insurgent faction in Iraq which has come into recent conflict with Al-Qaida--have issued a series of frantic statements denying any role in the ongoing U.S.-led security operation in the restive Diyala province. Various press accounts had reported earlier that Sunni insurgents who had "turned against al-Qaida" were "cooperating with U.S. and Iraqi forces" in helping to secure several neighborhoods in eastern and western Baqubah. In their flurry of responses, the 1920 Revolution Brigades scoffed at these reports as the product of an ongoing crusader media conspiracy designed to "cause trouble amongst the jihad factions." The group denied having any active "presence" in the Diyala province at this time and furthermore threatened to hunt down and punish anyone who maliciously attempts to "exploit" their name and reputation. Coming from a group whose former leader was assassinated only two months ago apparently at the hands of Al-Qaida, it is difficult to know for certain the degree to which these statements reflect the truth, or instead are mere lipservice aimed at avoiding further public controversy within the jihadist community.

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