Iraq's Armed Groups Form Alliance

[Purveyor]

Several nationalist and Islamist armed groups have formed alliances in Iraq in what they say is a move to thwart a power struggle should the US military withdraw and the Iraqi government collapse.

In July, groups including the The Islamic Army, The Army of Mujahidin, The Supporters of Sunni, and the Salafist group for Missionary Action and Fighting, got together to form the Reform and Jihad movement.

This was followed in September by the Change and Reform Front, comprised of eight groups, including The 1920 Revolution Brigades and the Mohammed al-Fatih Brigades. The latter groups include senior members of the former Iraqi Army and Saddam Hussein's elite Republican Guards.

Fadil al-Rubaie, a member of the National Alliance, an Iraqi opposition movement in exile, believes that the unification of Iraq's "resistance groups" indicates a turning point after previous refusals by the Islamist groups to merge with nationalists.

"Resistance groups are gearing up to meet that stage, where leading parties will be needed to lead and to prevent a potential militia war among many small groups," he said.

Targeting the government

Abu Anas, a member of the political bureau of Hamas of Iraq, an armed group opposed to the presence of US troops in Iraq, told Al Jazeera that Iraq's armed groups believe a US withdrawal is imminent.

"From a military point of view, forming bigger groups means a bigger number of fighters, better logistics, and more weapons."

Anas said: "We are looking forward to the fall of the al-Maliki government, and the US withdrawal. We know it is coming, but I cannot predict when and how

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http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/4565633F-9691-44A8-B14E-F3D1F97C6414.htm

[Alcibiades]

1. No, it cannot be--we is winning! Casualties are down!

On NPR today they announced that last month had the fewest civilian and military casualties of any month in the past year. They went on to say that some of this reduction may be due to the unilateral ceasefire imposed by al-Sadr. They didn't say, though it could well be the case, that the people doing the ethnic cleansing are running out of people to kill.

And it could be, as this would seem to suggest, that casualties are lower because there's some reorganization going on.