I had planned a long post today about the growing ideological rift between al-Qaeda in Iraq and the more locally oriented insurgency factions, but alas - spring came to Williamstown at last today, and playgrounds were a lot more appealing. So you'll have to do with just one little tidbit.
According to the "Death Makers" program on the Saudi-backed TV station al-Arabiya, a report issued by an Iraqi security agency claims that the al-Qaeda organization in Iraq is the wealthiest armed faction in the country, with some $1.5 billion in assets from various sources. One of the main sources of funds, according to the program: robbing Shia, non-Muslims or Sunni opponents declared to be kafirs. Curiously absent from this list of sources of funds (at least in the summary on the al-Arabiya website): sympathetic Saudis. Odd, given that most people point to Saudis as a major source of funds and recruits; perhaps less odd given the identity of the station running the report. At any rate, I don't know how much credibility to give the report - I find the amount implausible, personally - but thought that people might find it interesting, if for no other reason than for what it might suggest about who might want to present this particular image of al-Qaeda in Iraq's size and resources.
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