Al-Qaeda in Iraq

Al-Qaeda in Iraq - 2004-02-13. What you read here is the official opinion of the U.S. government. Coalition forces in Iraq recently captured a messenger along with a detailed letter from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian affiliated with the terrorist network al-Qaeda. Mark Kimmitt, a U.S. Army general, told the New York Times that this 17-page letter discusses 25 specific attacks in Iraq in detail. Dan Senor, a spokesman for the coalition in Iraq, says the letter seeks to initiate a campaign supported by al-Qaeda to incite Shiites against Sunnis in Iraq: "It seems the main goal, as described in the document, is to start a sectarian war as an effort to dismantle the unity of the country. Shiite leaders and holy sites are to be targeted, with the hope that they will seek revenge against Sunnis, and then the Kurds will be drawn into the conflict. Iraqis will turn against each other, and al-Qaeda will achieve its goal of bloodshed and a fragmented Iraq." In the letter, al-Zarqawi acknowledges the coalition's successes and the failure of terrorists to gain the support of the Iraqi people for their goals, stating: "We can pack up and seek another land, just as has happened in many lands during jihad. Our enemy grows stronger day by day, and gains more information." Colin Powell, the U.S. Secretary of State, considers the letter very revealing, stating: "They have outlined a weakness in their efforts to undermine the coalition's efforts. However, the letter simultaneously shows that they have not backed down and are trying to bring more terrorists into Iraq, and are intent on creating more terrorist organizations in an effort to defeat our objectives." Mohammed Shakir Jafar, an Iraqi businessman residing in Sadr City, says: "Peace of mind is the only thing we want."