Iraq's Al Qaeda attacks higher-impact targets
An Al Qaeda-linked group ambushed American troops on Saturday, capturing three.
from the May 14, 2007 edition
Page 2 of 3
In that case, an Internet statement posted by the Mujahideen Shura, an umbrella insurgent group including Al Qaeda in Iraq, claimed the killings "carried out the verdict of the Islamic court."
After the April truck bombings in Diyala, Internet postings by the Islamic State of Iraq claimed the attack and announced creation of a "cabinet" and a "ministry of war."
"Let the enemy expect more from the ministry, with power and might from the glorified God," one posting said. "The suicide brigades are continually increasing" in response to the growing "intruding brigades," an apparent reference to the "surge" of about 25,000 US troops to the Iraq fight.
The evolution of attacks by the Sunni insurgency, including Al Qaeda, to higher-profile, higher-casualty operations reflect both the squeeze brought on by the US surge and frustrations with civilian rejection of Al Qaeda, Iraqi sources say.
The site of Saturday's attack, for example, is across the Tigris River from the area assigned to one of the new US brigades in the Baghdad area.
The military is charged with cutting off the flow of explosives into Baghdad over the major southerly highway there, as well as with disrupting insurgent cells from planning attacks.
At the same time, incidents of retaliation against Sunni civilians for rejecting Al Qaeda are multiplying.
On Saturday, a sheikh of the Jabour tribe and several relatives were killed by Al Qaeda in the Mohammediyah village between Ramadi and Fallujah, in Anbar Province, after they called for cooperation with official security forces against Al Qaeda, the Al Hurra television station reported. Execution killings are also increasing in Sunni Fallujah, suggesting rising Sunni-on-Sunni violence.
"It is becoming more common for Al Qaeda to strike back in revenge at people who dare to turn against them," says Iyad Samarrai, a Sunni member of Iraq's parliament.
At the same time, the multiplying bomb attacks on infrastructure like bridges and electrical networks, as well as on public places like markets, is an attempt to feed sectarian divisions while convincing all Iraqis that the government is weak and ineffectual, he says.
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