Islamic Army-al-Qaeda conflict

al-Qaeda in Iraq

Background

The Islamic Army-al-Qaeda Conflict is the ongoing armed crisis between the rival insurgency groups.

Early 2007, one of Iraq's main armed groups has confirmed a split with al-Qaeda in Iraq, according to a spokesman for the dissenting organisation. Ibrahim al-Shammari told Al-Jazeera on Thursday that the Islamic Army in Iraq had decided to disunite from al-Qaeda in Iraq after its members were threatened.

"In the beginning, we were dealing with Tawhid and Jihad organisation, which turned into al-Qaeda in Iraq," he said, his identity obscured for security reasons.

"Specifically after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi died, the gap between us [and al-Qaeda] widened, because [they] started to target our members.^[2]

The Islamic Army, however, reached a ceasefire with AQI on June 6, 2007, yet still refusing to sign on to the ISI.^[3]

Motive

Evidence of the split between the Islamic Army in Iraq and al-Qaeda began to appear early 2007. Mishan al-Jabouri, the owner of Al Zawraa -or Muj TV, which is the propaganda television station for the Islamic Army in Iraq, lashed out against al-Qaeda in February 2007. Jabouri aired a laundry list of complaints against al-Qaeda and its puppet Islamic State of Iraq. The grievances included: ^[4]

• al-Qaeda in Iraq has divided the Iraqi people, failed to protect the Sunnis and brought the Shia death squads down on the Sunnis by inciting sectarian violence through mass suicide attacks. Islamic Army also condemned the genocide against the minority of Assyrian.
• The Islamic State of Iraq in Iraq wants the Sunni groups to "pledge allegiance" to leaders, ministers and emirs whose identities are unknown, including Abu Omar al-Baghdadi.
• Islamic State of Iraq has continued to conduct an extensive campaign of assassination against rival sheikhs, emirs and insurgent group leaders, and in many cases added insult to injury by failing to give the bodies back to the families. One of al-Jabouri's own messengers was executed.
• The Islamic State of Iraq has no system of law or justice.
• Weapons and ammunition are being confiscated from insurgent groups that do not support the Islamic State.
• al-Qaeda in Iraq is intentionally targeting members of the Iraqi army and police forces, who al-Jabouri and other insurgents believe are acting in the best interest of Iraqis.
• The goal of the Islamic State of Iraq is to serve as a stepping stone to attack other nations, which endangers the Iraqi people.

Al-Qaeda's conflict with the 1920 Revolution Brigades

The 1920 Revolution Brigades recently announced the death of its leader, Harith Dhahir Khamis al-Dari, nephew and namesake of Harith al-Dari, the exiled head of the Muslim Scholars Association. The 1920 Revolution Brigades is one of the largest indigenous Iraqi insurgent groups, but after al-Dari's death, the Brigades announced its split into two factions - the 1920 Revolution Brigades and Hamas of Iraq.^[5]The break was the result of differing viewpoints on working with the al-Anbar Salvation Council, negotiating with coalition forces and the relationship vis-à-vis al-Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) (Terrorism Focus, March 27). Al-Dari was reportedly long targeted by al-Qaeda for his refusal to pledge allegiance to Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, amir of the ISI, and was finally killed by an al-Qaeda ambush on March 27, 2007.^[6]

References

• The Crimes of Qaeda Original Statements from Iraqi Resistance groups regarding the Qaida group