Al-Qaeda tightens its grip in
Iraq By Syed Saleem Shahzad
KARACHI - The death of former Iraqi vice
president Ezzat Ibrahim al-Douri marks a turning
point in the Iraqi resistance. Command of the
movement will now almost completely be in the
hands of al-Qaeda, which will further cement its
moves to fight a global war against America under
a unified, open command.
Douri, 63, was
one of Saddam Hussein's closest aides and the most
senior figure in the former regime still at large
- he was number six (king of clubs) in the US's
pack of cards denoting its most wanted people. The
US had offered a US$10 million reward for
information leading to his capture.
He
died after a long battle with leukemia, according
to a statement from the Ba'ath Party - which the
Americans have officially dissolved in Iraq. The
statement continued: "After 50
years
he spent in the militant struggle and in the
resistance, Ezzat Ibrahim al-Douri quits his horse
going to the mercy of the Almighty God."
Douri was a Sufi Muslim and a practicing
sheikh (spiritual guide) of two major Sufi
schools, Rafahi and Qadri. As a Ba'athist as well,
he was a trusted comrade of Saddam.
Though
Saddam disliked such practices. every Monday he
would hold a congregation for his disciples at his
residence in Tikrit, where they would recite Sufi
rituals. At Friday prayers in Baghdad he would
eloquently hold court in Sheikh Abdul Qadir
Gillani's mosque. Saddam thought that his close
comrade from Oaja village near Tikrit was setting
the wrong precedents for the secular image of the
Ba'ath Party.
However, Douri and his Sufi
circle turned out to be a most useful tool when
Iraq was invaded by US in 2003.
Douri was
the one who established coordination between the
Ba'ath Party, the Iraqi Republican Guards and
local Islamic groups, not only in Fallujah and
Baquba, but also in northern Iraq, especially in
Kirkuk.
As many senior people around him
were gradually arrested, including Saddam, Douri
remained at large, mostly in northern Iraq,
including the cities of Mosul, Tikrit, Samarra and
Kirkuk. At one time he escaped to Syria, but
returned.
One of his sons, Ahmed, became
the main financial organizer of the resistance.
For a long time Douri was the acknowledged
driver of the resistance, but in the past few
months little was heard of him. The speculation in
the resistance was that he had either died, or
once again gone to Syria. His illness was well
known - he traveled with a mobile medical unit
that was able to change his blood wherever
required.
Douri's absence over the past
months coincides with the period in which Islamic
groups prevailed over the Iraqi resistance and
effectively took control. After Douri, there is no
one of his stature or knowledge to lead the
remnants of Saddam's era. They have little option
but to stick with the command of the Islamic
groups.
Al-Qaeda's grand
plans According to people familiar with
al-Qaeda who spoke to Asia Times Online, al Qaeda,
having acquired absolute control over the Iraqi
resistance, aims to march towards its next
targets.
These include the establishment
of a unified command based in Iraq and
Afghanistan; to shed its shadowy image and call
for jihad and recruitments throughout the Muslim
world; and then wage a global battle against
America and its allies in the open, contrary to
its present strategy under which al-Qaeda, its
leadership and operations are underground.
For more than a year interaction between
the Iraqi resistance and the Taliban-led Afghan
resistance has been mutually beneficial. Asia
Times Online has reported how Taliban commander
Mehmood Haq Yar went to Iraq to learn the
techniques of urban guerrilla warfare. (See Osama adds weight to Afghan
resistance, September 11, 2004). This
interaction produced the following immediate
benefits:
Iraq has turned into a hub for the anti-US
movement, with thousands of jihadis a year pouring
in from all over, including Saudi Arabia, Syria,
Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon. A fund-raising
campaign to finance the Iraqi resistance is also
in full swing in countries such as Yemen, Algeria,
Jordan, Syria and Egypt.
At present, the Iraqi resistance is feeding
the Afghan resistance, but once the Afghan
resistance gets up to a certain level, thousands
of new pro-Taliban jihadis will be inspired - just
as they were for the jihad against the Soviets in
the 1980s - to join in the fight. Pakistan and the
Central Asian republics are seen as prime
recruitment grounds.
Iran and al-Qaeda
Zabul province in southeastern Afghanistan
is the hub of the Afghan resistance, and where
most of its resources are stored. It also has many
heroin-processing laboratories. Though these
belong to local warlords, the proceeds are shared
with the Afghan resistance, which safeguards
transit routes (See Asia Times Online Opium gold unites US friends and
foes, September 3).
From
Afghanistan, these routes enter Iran, with the
drugs either destined for Turkey or Central Asian
countries, notably Uzbekistan. (See Asia Times
Online Follow the drugs: US shown the
way, September 27.)
In Iran,
the route passes through Iranian Balochistan,
where al-Qaeda operators interact with local Sunni
groups which facilitate the drugs going on the
next stage of their journey, notably to Chabahar
port in Iran.
These routes remain mostly
unguarded, despite Iranian authorities being aware
of them, according to US-led coalition authorities
in Afghanistan, and no action has been taken
against the Sunni groups.
In its grand
strategy, al-Qaeda sees a similar corridor opening
in Iran to act as a link between Iraq and
Afghanistan, where it is envisaged the bases for
al-Qaeda will be created.
Intelligence
analysts suggest that since September 11, 2001 the
level of cooperation between Iran and al-Qaeda has
increased. However, the anti-Shi'ite stance of the
al-Qaeda leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi,
remains a major obstacle.
Should this be
resolved, and Iran soften its attitude, al-Qaeda
will have taken a major step towards launching its
global war against America.
Syed
Saleem Shahzad, Bureau Chief, Pakistan Asia
Times Online. He can be reached at
saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com
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