Al Qaeda's Iraq Head Refuses to Scrap Syria Merger
Source: Associated Press
The leader of al-Qaida's Iraq arm defiantly rejected an order from the terror network's global command to scrap a merger with the organization's Syria affiliate, according to a message purporting to be from him that was posted online Saturday.
The latest alleged statement by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who heads the Islamic State of Iraq, reveals a growing rift within the terror network and highlights the Iraqi wing's determination to link its own fight against the Shiite-led government in Baghdad with the cause of rebels trying to topple the Syrian regime.
In an audio message posted online, a speaker identified as al-Baghdadi insists that a merger he announced in April with Syria's Jabhat al-Nusra rebel group to create a cross-border movement known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant will continue. Al-Nusra is Syria's most powerful rebel extremist group, and its head has rejected the takeover attempt.
"The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant will continue," he said. "We will not compromise and we will not give up."
The Qatar-based Al-Jazeera TV reported late Sunday that al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri had issued a letter trying to end the squabbling and ordering the two groups to stay separate.
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Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/al-qaidas-iraq-head-refuses-scrap-syria-merger-19409340
These are our de facto allies in Syria.
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