Insurgents would negotiate with US; "gap" with al-Qaeda (Roundup)

Middle East News

Apr 11, 2007, 23:23 GMT

Amman - A spokesman for an Iraqi insurgent group said Wednesday that his group was willing to negotiate with the United States if the power withdraws from the country. Ibrahim al-Shemmari, spokesman of the predominantly Sunni Iraq Islamic Army (IIA), also said in an interview with al-Jazeera television that there was a 'widening gap' between his group and al- Qaeda forces in Iraq. And he claimed that insurgent forces have killed 25,000 Americans - a number that is disputed by carefully kept US figures. Al-Shemmari described his group as including 'faithful elements' from the dissolved Iraqi army but excluding 'all Baathists.' The Sunni insurgency formed after the ouster of president Saddam Hussein in 2003, who had ruled Iraq with an iron hand that kept the minority Sunnis in control over the majority Shiites. Since then, all-out lethal conflict has broken out between the Sunni insurgent forces and Shiite militia, with the US-led coalition forces struggling to dampen the violence while foreign Sunni al-Qaeda fighters seeking to sew chaos wherever possible. Al-Shemmari charged that the gap with al-Qaeda came about after it had killed 40 IIA fighters, but vowed that the group was seeking reconciliation to unify all the insurgent groups and fight until the US troops leave the country. 'We are keen on the unification of all resistance groups. We have written for this end to Osama bin Laden and other scholars,' al- Shemmari said. Al-Shemmari offered to enter into negotiations with the United States under certain 'conditions' provided that an outside body like the European Union, Russia or Turkey hosted talks. He said the group was prepared to enter into negotiations if the US Congress made a 'binding decision' to withdraw US troops, even as it was seeking to unify the insurgent groups. 'Our second condition is that the Americans recognize the resistance as a legitimate party,' he said. US Congress has set a timetable for withdrawal of US forces from Iraq by 2008, as part of a funding bill for the war. US President George W Bush has threatened to veto the bill. Al-Shemmari called the conflict over the financing of the US troops in Iraq a 'good omen'. The IIA official claimed that about 25,000 Americans were killed in Iraq since the US-led force invaded the country in 2003, according to the number of American vehicles its fighters had destroyed. 'We only count the occupants of US vehicles completely destroyed in our operations,' he said. In Washington, the private think tank, Brookings Institute, which keeps a widely respected tally of deaths in Iraq, reports only 470 deaths of foreign non-Iraqi private military contractors. In all, it estimated there were more than 20,000 private military contractors serving in Iraq, but did not specify their nationality. Another website, Iraq Body Count, estimates Iraqi civilian deaths at 61,000 to 67,000. Al-Shemmari faulted the official figures of the US military command in Iraq, which officially puts the number of troops killed in the past four years at about 3,243. He said the number neglected 'the mercenaries and personnel involved in the logistic services.' Al-Shemmari said that the former Iraqi army 'included both faithful personnel and corrupt Baathists,' which was why Baathists were excluded from the IIA. He dismissed as 'propaganda' reports that Baathists, belonging to the ruling party of former President Saddam Hussein, represented the backbone of the Iraqi insurgency. He pointed out that the IIA had 'benefited' from all previous guerrilla warfare experiments, including the Vietnam war, in its operations against the US-led multinational force in Iraq. He blasted the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shiite, as a 'sectarian cabinet which is part of the Iranian project'. © 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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NoharnessApr 12th, 2007 - 00:14:51

Oh, brother! These guys are bigger liars than our Democrat legislators. Of course, this load of horse-apples was invited by the limp-wrist behavior of our Dear Speaker and our Dear Majority Leader. Way to go, Harry! Way to go, Nancy!

Huzzah!

Huzzah!

Huzzah!

Not.

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BlueLadyApr 12th, 2007 - 01:05:04

Well, some of the insurgent elements naturally have little to do with the Pan-Islamic aspirations of Al Qaeda, et all...They have far more 'earthly, nationalistic aims, despite certain tactical interests in common with the outsiders.

Since most secular arabs 'rather like' indoor plumbing, music, art, sex, education, money (and the freedom to shave), they have little reason to long for a Wahhibist victory. They just want the westerners out.

So, yes, I imagine that they would, in the long run, be better off striking some kind of 'Afghan warlord'-type deal with the states in order to gain some sort of power advantage. (That's part of Saddam's secret to success all those years).

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SApr 12th, 2007 - 03:02:14

Like Blue Lady said, They like our stuff but they want us out- I always find it hypocritical when I hear of people bashing the west ie. US, UK but you see them wearing Western products- If they don't like what the west stands for, don't buy our stuff- I especially love it though when I hear them bashing the West and the Jews and they are wearing products made by Jewish designers- Ralph Lauren, Levi Strauss etc- It makes me laugh! If they only knew but they are that ignorant!

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CharlesApr 12th, 2007 - 03:44:41

The only thing (sarcasm) that makes me wonder about the intentions of these 'freedom fighters' is the fact that in Iraq for the first time there is a political process that would include them whole heartedly with no need for a recourse to arms.

They have been given the vote. They don't need to fight for that right. They may organize political parties. So anyone fighting for power against the elected government is fighting against that process and the rule of law. We know what the alternative is - autocracy or theocracy - with historical precedents of sadistic brutality thrown in for good measure.

These people do not want freedom - they are fighting against it.

Its like someone shooting up the neighborhood and claiming its because someone stole their car - but then an annoyed neighbor points out that the car is sitting there in the garage in perfect shape.

Its a tragic waste.

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ShaneApr 12th, 2007 - 04:04:00

You are absolutely right, Charles, all the more reason for the troops to be withdrawn and soon. This whole mess is hopeless at best!!!!

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@Blue ladyApr 12th, 2007 - 05:12:23

'.They have far more 'earthly, nationalistic aims, despite certain tactical interests in common with the outsiders.'

Yeah, returning to the good old days of baathist rule, rape rooms, plastic shredders, gassings, ect... John Wayne Gacy had earthly aims as well.. The police should have 'negotiated' with him as a way of keeping the missing children to an acceptable level.

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go look up redundant now achmedApr 12th, 2007 - 05:15:09

'Good to see the Islamic Army has developed a political wing hopefully across the middle east.'

Isn't an Islamic 'political wing' a bit redundant?

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Get RealApr 12th, 2007 - 05:32:50

Since the 'Occupation Forces' can't leave as long as there is chaos in Iraq, and since the 'insurgents' are creating the chaos with indescriminate killing in markets and schools, it is actually the insurgents forcing the occupation in Iraq to continue.

I think the fact is the 'insurgents' want to negotiate something before they are willing to allow the occupation forces to leave. I would almost be willing to bet it has something to do with Israel.

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GeorgeRobsonApr 12th, 2007 - 09:49:12

GET real
Get real,..who in their right mind in Iraq would want to talk to Israeli..It was their coercion and phony intelligence delivered by that meat head Kissinger that helped give us a bum steer in the first place.

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SApr 12th, 2007 - 10:50:23

Well Robson, if you have any better ideas on how to obtain intel from this neck of the woods- please advise the rest of us because the only TRUE ally of the US over here would be Israel- Their Intel and Mossad? make our guys look like pansies

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