But if Al Qaeda don’t say exactly who the tribal leaders are who agree with them, it may not mean much – in Iraq a tribe can be ten people or it could be two million. According to news monitoring site, Al Monitor, some Sunni tribal leaders have suggested that Al Qaeda is simply trying to entrap them. Al Monitor also received “a statement signed by 76 Sunni religious leaders, declaring that they have no connection with Al Qaeda”.
However this kind of statement does actually fit in with Al Qaeda’s stated aims and new strategy where they say they plan to learn from the mistakes of 2006 and start working within local communities more – their ultimate ambition is still the establishment of an Islamic state; however, as hard as it may be to grasp considering the recent bombings in Iraq, they have said they are considering a more political route towards that aim.
Meanwhile over on the other side of the equation, Iraq’s security forces are being criticized almost continuously for their inability to halt the violence and the terrorist bombings.
“Their performance is weak and there is disorder and confusion within their ranks,” the Iraqi Parliament's speaker Osama al-Nujaifi said. “They are unable to deal with the threats this country faces.”
“These factors, as well as a low level of professionalism, make it easy for criminals and murderers to penetrate the security forces,” al-Nujaifi told NIQASH in an emailed statement. “The government and security force leaders really need to explain how the security situation just keeps on getting worse.”
Today Iraq has a huge security apparatus,” says Ali al-Haydari, a local security expert. “But it lacks the technical information and equipment. The state institutions just keep growing but the environment remains unstable – so it’s very difficult for anyone to learn anything or change strategies. And while the structure of local security looks strong and capable, in reality it’s not – because of a lack of information, equipment and innovation.”
(Picture: U.S. soldiers wearing full chemical protection)
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