Al-Qaeda in Iraq

Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQ-I), also known as Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia , a violent militant Sunni insurgent group operating in and outside of Iraq , didn't exist until after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion."

"Al-Qaida in Iraq didn't emerge until 2004. While it is inspired by Osama bin Laden's violent ideology, there's no evidence it is under the control of the terrorist leader or his top aides, who are believed to be hiding in tribal regions of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan."

"Analysts and intelligence officials say that al-Qaeda in Iraq is just one of many Sunni and Shiite organizations fighting for power and against the U.S. occupation, and that al-Qaeda in Iraq is smaller than many other insurgent groups. The analysts say that bin Laden's organization provides more inspiration than direction to Sunni fighters in Iraq."

Also see the article on al-Qaeda.

Creating AQI
"With disproportionate resources dedicated to tracking AQI, the search has become a self-reinforcing loop. The Army has a Special Operations task force solely dedicated to tracking al-Qaeda in Iraq. The Defense Intelligence Agency tracks AQI through its Iraq office and its counterterrorism office. The result is more information culled, more PowerPoint slides created, and, ultimately, more attention drawn to AQI, which amplifies its significance...," Andrew Tilghman wrote in the October 2007 edition of The Washington Monthly.

"[T]he bar for labeling an attack the work of al-Qaeda can be very low. The fact that a detainee possesses al-Qaeda pamphlets or a laptop computer with cached jihadist Web sites, for example, is at times enough for analysts to link a detainee to al-Qaeda. 'Sometimes it's as simple as an anonymous tip that al-Qaeda is active in a certain village, so they will go out on an operation and whoever they roll up, we call them al-Qaeda,' says Rossmiller. 'People can get labeled al-Qaeda anywhere along in the chain of events, and it's really hard to unlabel them.' Even when the military backs off explicit statements that AQI is responsible, as with the Tal Afar truck bombings, the perception that an attack is the work of al-Qaeda is rarely corrected," Tilghman wrote.

Leadership
According to the Iraqi government, Al-Qaeda in Iraq is "better organised and has better relations with the core leadership since Abu Ayoub al-Masri, an Egyptian, took over from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian killed [in June 2006].

Fictional Islamic State of Iraq?
"The Islamic State of Iraq is an umbrella group of several insurgent groups, including al-Qaida in Iraq. Both have been blamed for some of the deadliest bombings in the country's conflict," the Associated Press reported June 26, 2007.

However, Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner told reporters on July 18, 2007, that the "whole thing was a sham" and "Al-Baghdadi was actually a fictional character dreamed up by al-Qaeda in Iraq to bolster its local credibility because the group is largely run by non-Iraqis. The voice heard in the recordings belonged to an Iraqi actor," Thomas Frank wrote in USA TODAY.

The 'Los Angeles Times "talks to some Iraqi politicians who said the revelations were nonsense," Daniel Politi wrote in Slate The New York Times "points out that although there were always suspicions that Baghdadi may not have been real, it goes to show how the intelligence on insurgent groups in Iraq is, simply, not very good. And there's also the chance that al-Mashadani is just covering for someone else. Some speculate the message was meant to convince Iraqis that if they listen to al-Qaida in Iraq, they are actually taking orders from foreigners."

Other names
"Al-Qaida Group of Jihad in Iraq; Al-Qaida Group of Jihad in the Land of the Two Rivers; Al-Qaida in Mesopotamia; Al-Qaida in the Land of the Two Rivers; Al-Qaida of Jihad in Iraq; Al-Qaida of Jihad Organization in the Land of The Two Rivers; Al-Qaida of the Jihad in the Land of the Two Rivers; Al-Tawhid; Jam'at al-Tawhid Wa'al-Jihad; Tanzeem Qaidat al Jihad/Bilad al Raafidaini; Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn; The Monotheism and Jihad Group; The Organization Base of Jihad/Country of the Two Rivers; The Organization Base of Jihad/Mesopotamia; The Organization of al-Jihad's Base in Iraq; The Organization of al-Jihad's Base in the Land of the Two Rivers; The Organization of al-Jihad's Base of Operations in Iraq; The Organization of al-Jihad's Base of Operations in the Land of the Two Rivers; The Organization of Jihad's Base in the Country of the Two Rivers.

Also see

 * al Qaida
 * arc of instability
 * civil war in Iraq
 * Iraqi insurgency
 * Operation Enduring Freedom
 * Operation Iraqi Freedom
 * violence in the Middle East

Profiles

 * Al-Qaeda in Iraq in the Wikipedia.

Videos

 * The ministerial formation for the Islamic State of Iraq
 * Greetings to the Mujahid Fighters in Iraq, this video clip features Sheikh Ayman Zawahiri talking about the Islamic State of Iraq

2005

 * "Zarqawi: al-Qaida in Iraq Fired Jordan Rockets," NewsMax, August 23, 2005.
 * Rory Carroll and Osama Mansour, "Al-Qaida in Iraq seizes border town as it mobilises against poll," The Guardian (U.K.), September 7, 2005.
 * "What is al-Qaida in Iraq?" PBS Online NewsHour, October 16, 2005.

2006

 * Craig Whitlock, "Death Could Shake Al-Qaeda In Iraq and Around the World," Washington Post, June 10, 2006.
 * Liz Sly, "U.S. keeps heat up as al-Qaida in Iraq issues urgent appeals," Chicago Tribune (Seattle Times), June 10, 2006.
 * "Rewards for Justice Targets al-Qaida in Iraq's New Leader. United States offers up to $5 million for information leading to al-Masri," U.S. Department of State, July 3, 2006.
 * "Al-Qaida in Iraq Incites Sectarian Violence, Says U.S. General. Iraqi security forces continue expansion of Baghdad operations," U.S. Department of State, August 16, 2006.
 * "Al-Qaeda in Iraq claims to have mobilized 12,000 fighters," Associated Press (USA TODAY), November 10, 2006.
 * Christopher Bodeen, "Al-Qaida in Iraq Claims It's Winning War," Associated Press (BreitBart.com), November 10, 2006.
 * Evan Kohlmann, "Al-Qaida in Iraq Responds to Baker-Hamilton Report, Congratulates Somali Islamists," Counterterrorism Blog, December 10, 2006.

2007

 * "Insurgent Leader Nabbed in Iraq Raid," Associated Press (BreitBart.com), March 9, 2007.
 * Marc Lynch, "Insurgents against al-Qaida. Growing hostility towards al-Qaida in Iraq could be a good sign - but only if the US withdraws," comment is free.../The Guardian (U.K.), March 10, 2007.
 * Sudarsan Raghavan, "Sunni factions in Iraq split with al-Qaida group," Washington Post (Seattle Times), April 16, 2007.
 * Lawrence Kudlow, "Al-Qaida Is the Problem in Iraq," Townhall.com, April 28, 2007.
 * Sudarsan Raghavan, "U.S. Identifies Dead Insurgent As Group's Propaganda Chief. Military Draws Links to Kidnappings by Al-Qaeda in Iraq," Washington Post, May 4, 2007.
 * Kim Gamel, "Al-Qaida in Iraq brands Sunni leader a 'criminal'. Verbal attack is purportedly given by a terror chief, whom authorities claimed was dead," Associated Press (Houston Chronicle), May 6, 2007.
 * "Sunni revolt against al-Qaida in Iraq extends to Baghdad and northeast of the capital," WHDH Channel 7 News (Boston), June 1, 2007.
 * Steven R. Hurst, "Sunnis Revolt Against al-Qaida in Iraq," Associated Press, June 1, 2007.
 * Hamid Ahmed, "Suicide bomber kills 13 in northern Iraq," Associated Press (Boston Globe), June 21, 2007.
 * Jack, "Fighting al-Qaida in Iraq," WatchBlog, June 21, 2007.
 * Jonathan S. Landay, "Bush plays al Qaida card to bolster support for Iraq policy," McClatchy Newspapers, June 28, 2007.
 * Julian Barnes, "Iraq strategy geared to U.S. pullout. Expecting a timeline soon, the military shifts main focus to Sunni-led Al Qaeda, a move it says will calm Shiite militias too," Los Angeles Times, June 28, 2007.
 * John Amato, "Bush mentions al Qaida 27 times in latest Iraq speech," Crooks and Liars, June 29, 2007.
 * Syed Saleem Shahzad, "Al-Qaida: the unwanted guests," Le Monde diplomatique (France), July 2007.
 * Dinka, "Al-Qaida In Iraq Threatens 'War' With Iran," Pravda (Russia) (Huliq.com), July 9, 2007.
 * Rich Lowry, "Abandoning the fight against al-Qaida in Iraq," National Review (Salt Lake Tribune), July 9, 2007.
 * "US Expects al-Qaida in Iraq to Stage 'Spectacular Attacks' After Setbacks," Voice of America News, July 11, 2007.
 * Eric Margolis, "Fib factory running full tilt," Edmonton Sun (Canada), July 15, 2007.
 * Ed Morrisey, "NIE: AQ Still Top Threat," Captain's Quarters Blog, July 17, 2007.
 * Robert C. Koehler, "Homeland conspiracy," The Free Press, July 18, 2007. See fear.
 * Megan Greenwell and Karen DeYoung, "Al-Qaeda in Iraq Figure Is in U.S. Custody. Detainee Details Insurgent Group's Structure, Ties to Bin Laden, Military Says," Washington Post, July 19, 2007.
 * Sidney Blumenthal, Opinion: "Cooking the intelligence, again. The latest government estimate of the terrorist threat is just a rehash of the same old script, produced under pressure to support the president's efforts to sell the Iraq war," Salon, July 19, 2007. re cooked intelligence
 * Timothy Garton Ash, "America is just starting to wake up to the awesome scale of its Iraq disaster. The American public has decided that its boys should come home, but the ghosts of Baghdad will return with them," The Guardian (UK), July 19, 2007.
 * James Gerstenzang and Johanna Neuman, "Bush says military needs time to defeat Al Qaeda in Iraq. Provides most detailed effort yet to tie terrorist organization in Iraq to Osama bin Laden," Los Angeles Times, July 24, 2007.
 * "Bush defends Iraq war, details threat from al Qaeda," CNN, July 24, 2007.
 * Jim Rutenberg and Mark Mazzetti, "President Links Qaeda of Iraq to Qaeda of 9/11," New York Times, July 25, 2007.
 * Dan Froomkin, "Al Qaeda's Best Publicist," Washington Post, July 25, 2007.
 * "Al-Qaeda not 'monolithic' group: US officials," Agence France Presse (The Raw Story), July 25, 2007.
 * Greg Miller, "Al Qaeda in South Asia called top threat. Undercutting Bush's stance, a U.S. official says most of the network's Iraq affiliate are homegrown," Los Angeles Times, July 26, 2007.
 * Bryan Bender, "Analyst counters Bush on Al Qaeda. Says biggest threat is in S. Asia, not Iraq," Boston Globe, July 26, 2007.
 * A.J. Rossmiller, "False hype of al Qaeda in Iraq," AMERICAblog, September 6, 2007.

External resources

 * George W. Bush, News Release: "President Bush Discusses War on Terror in South Carolina," Charleston Air Force Base, Charleston, South Carolina, Office of the White House Press Secretary, July 24, 2007. "Al Qaeda in Iraq" Fact Sheet, July 24, 2007.