Iraqi Insurgents Accuse Al-Qaida of "Horrific" and "Insidious" New Crimes Despite Calls for Unity From Bin Laden

By Evan Kohlmann

The Islamic Army in Iraq (IAI)--one of the largest and most influential Sunni insurgent groups active in Iraq--has issued yet another stinging condemnation of Al-Qaida's network in Iraq from its media spokesman, Dr. Ali al-Naimi. According to Dr. al-Naimi, Al-Qaida is the "main cause" behind recent "painful events" in Latifiya and Samarra: "It is such a horrific scene that makes the occupiers pleased and is painful to Muslims... we weren’t expecting that after the speech of Shaykh Usama Bin Laden who announced Al-Qaida's incorrect acts and the need to overcome them." It should be noted that this is only the latest in a series of verbal attacks that the IAI has launched on Al-Qaida since April, when it began to repeatedly and publicly accuse the terrorist network founded by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi of killing other Sunni militants and other "un-Islamic" behavior.

English translations of this IAI communique (along with a digest of other selected recent statements issued by the group) can now be accessed through the NEFA Foundation website, care of the TerrorWatch subscription news service.

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