Fictional al Qaeda in Iraq leader calls for killing Sunnis

IHT:

The leader of al-Qaida in Iraq called on militants in a new audiotape Saturday to kill Sunnis who have joined forces with the U.S. to battle extremists in the war-torn country.

The message was posted on the Internet on the final day Eid al-Adha, a four-day religious holiday for Muslims marked by the sacrifice of cows, sheep, goats and bulls.

In the 47-minute audiotape, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi called on militants in Iraq to kill members of the Awakening Councils — mostly Sunnis who once fought against the U.S. but have since turned their guns on extremists — instead of slaughtering animals to mark the holiday.

"I call on you today to sacrifice ... the apostates of the awakening (councils) because they have became supporters for the cross and stood against the Mujahideen, violating the honor and looting the money," said al-Baghdadi.

The authenticity of the tape, titled "Humble Towards the Believers, Powerful Towards the Disbelievers," could not be verified, but it was posted on a Web site commonly used by Islamic militants.

"If that (slaughter) brings death and destruction for the animals, then carrying it out against the infidels and begrudged apostates is favorable to bring their blood as sacrifice," said al-Baghdadi.

Eid al-Adha commemorates the prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son for God. According to Muslim tradition, right before Abraham was about to slay his son, God sent the prophet two sheep instead for slaughter.

Last week, al-Qaida's No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri warned in a videotape of "traitors" among insurgents in Iraq and called on Iraqi Sunni Arab tribes to purge those who help the Americans.

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No photo has ever appeared of al-Baghdadi, whom the U.S. describes as a fictitious character used to give an Iraqi face to an organization dominated by foreigners.

The U.S. has said that under interrogation, a top al-Qaida member revealed that al-Baghdadi's speeches are read by an actor.

You have to get to the bottom of the story before the International Herald Tribune admits that al-Baghdadi is a phony. This should not be too surprising since the IHT is owned by the NY Times which keeps claiming that al Qaeda in Iraq is a local organization despite the use of a phony to give it a local flavor. Al Qaeda is already at war with these Sunnis and it has been the Sunni response to the war against them that has led to al Qaeda's demise in Iraq.