Iraq's Rebellion Develops Signs of Internal Rift :: Iraq Net :: Iraq's Online News Resource
BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 10 — Tension appears to be rising between the homegrown Iraqi resistance and the foreign Islamist fighters who have entered the country to destroy the American military here.
This is one reason, experts speculate, that Iraq has not had the kind of spectacular attack meant to spread terror and defy the American agenda for a long two weeks, even during the transfer of formal sovereignty back to the Iraqis.
Evidence has emerged in sniping between groups on Arabic television and Web sites, and in interviews with Iraqi and American officials, as well as from members of the resistance and people with close ties to it. All speak of rising friction between nationalistic fighters and foreign-led Islamists over goals and tactics, with some Iraqi insurgents indicating a revulsion over the car bombs and suicide attacks in cities that have caused hundreds of civilian deaths.
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Large car-bombings — thought to be carried out more often by foreigners, who make up a tiny percentage of the rebels — have “disgraced the reputation of the resistance,” Professor Rasheed said. “And the resistance has worked just as the government has been trying to, to curtail the influence of the foreigners.”
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But this week, the split took a cinematic turn when masked men calling themselves the Salvation Movement released a videotape containing threats to kill Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian militant suspected in the deadliest attacks here. American military officials say the group, based in Falluja, is made up of secular former members of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party. Then on Friday, a second group of guerrillas released a similar message threatening Mr. Zarqawi.
The same day, a statement posted on an Islamist Web site, claiming to be signed by Mr. Zarqawi, lashed out against the Muslim Clerics Association, an influential Sunni group with strong ties to Iraqi insurgents. The statement accused the group of weakness for offering a ransom to prevent the beheading of Nicholas E. Berg, the American businessman killed in May.
BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 10 — Tension appears to be rising between the homegrown Iraqi resistance and the foreign Islamist fighters who have entered the country to destroy the American military here.
This is one reason, experts speculate, that Iraq has not had the kind of spectacular attack meant to spread terror and defy the American agenda for a long two weeks, even during the transfer of formal sovereignty back to the Iraqis.
Evidence has emerged in sniping between groups on Arabic television and Web sites, and in interviews with Iraqi and American officials, as well as from members of the resistance and people with close ties to it. All speak of rising friction between nationalistic fighters and foreign-led Islamists over goals and tactics, with some Iraqi insurgents indicating a revulsion over the car bombs and suicide attacks in cities that have caused hundreds of civilian deaths.
- - - - - - -
Large car-bombings — thought to be carried out more often by foreigners, who make up a tiny percentage of the rebels — have “disgraced the reputation of the resistance,” Professor Rasheed said. “And the resistance has worked just as the government has been trying to, to curtail the influence of the foreigners.”
- - - - - - -
But this week, the split took a cinematic turn when masked men calling themselves the Salvation Movement released a videotape containing threats to kill Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian militant suspected in the deadliest attacks here. American military officials say the group, based in Falluja, is made up of secular former members of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party. Then on Friday, a second group of guerrillas released a similar message threatening Mr. Zarqawi.
The same day, a statement posted on an Islamist Web site, claiming to be signed by Mr. Zarqawi, lashed out against the Muslim Clerics Association, an influential Sunni group with strong ties to Iraqi insurgents. The statement accused the group of weakness for offering a ransom to prevent the beheading of Nicholas E. Berg, the American businessman killed in May.
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