The Sunni insurgency continues to fracture as U.S. and Iraqi forces are on the offensive in central and northern Iraq. Izzat Ibrahim al Douri, the Sunni insurgency’s most wanted Baathist leader, has formed a new insurgent front which is willing to negotiate, while a faction of the 1920s Revolution Brigades openly denounced al Qaeda. A grouping of 22 Sunni insurgent groups have “convened a Unification Congress in a liberated neighborhood in Baghdad” and formed the Supreme Command for Jihad and Liberation. The front appointed al Douri its leader. The announcement, posted on albasrah.net, a Baathist website, lists the 22 insurgent groups, as well as the terms and conditions of negotiations.
The Sunni insurgent groups participating are also listed. While many of the demands are non starters for the U.S. and the Iraqi government (setting a timeline for withdrawal, disbanding the government and institutions established after 2003), some of the conditions are being met piecemeal, such as ending raids in areas where the insurgency has stopped attacking U.S. and Iraqi forces, the re-integration of Baathists into the security forces, and prisoner releases. The statement by the Supreme Command for Jihad and Liberation glaringly ignores al Qaeda in Iraq, and the offer of negotiations is an affront to al Qaeda’s ideology. Evidence of al Douri’s split from al Qaeda emerged in August, when one of his spokesmen said he “decided to sever ties with al-Qaeda and sign up to the programme of the national resistance, which includes routing Islamist terrorists and opening up dialogue with the Baghdad government and foreign forces.” Al Douri pledged bayat–an oath of allegiance–to Abu Musab al Zarqawi, al Qaeda in Iraq’s former commander, in early 2004. While questions remain about al Douri’s influence in the insurgency, his split with al Qaeda and a willingness to negotiate represents a significant shift in his view on the prospects of success for the Sunni insurgency. Al Douri is an expert in testing the political winds in Iraq. He survived Saddam’s Baathist purges and rose in the ranks to become the second in command of the Revolutionary Command Council. He avoided U.S. capture for over four years and joined al Qaeda in Iraq in 2004 as the terror group consolidated power in post-war Iraq.
The 1920s Revolution Brigades denounces al Qaeda in Iraq
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The 1920s Revolution Brigades. |
The formation of the Supreme Command for Jihad and Liberation was announced one day after a faction of the 1920s Revolution Brigades denounced al Qaeda for terrorizing Sunnis. Evan Kohlmann reported on the statement by Hamas in Iraq which was posted on the internet on October 2.
The 1920s Revolution Brigades makes up a major faction of the Anbar Awakening and the forces fighting al Qaeda in Iraq in Diyala province. Al Qaeda launched over ten Chlorine bomb attacks against leaders in the 1920s Revolution Brigades in Anbar province, and attacked mosques, apartment complexes and funerals while its leaders were present. The Islamic Army in Iraq and Al Zawraa, its propaganda wing, have feuded with al Qaeda in Iraq over its brutality and domination of the Sunni insurgency.
