One of the heavyweight Sunni insurgency factions has just weighed in on the escalating struggle between the Islamic State of Iraq (al-Qaeda) and the Islamic Army of Iraq and its "Alliance". In an audiotape just released to the forums, the powerful faction Ansar al-Sunna pleas for unity among the Sunnis, accuses the United States and his allies of sowing this round of dissent. It warns of the historic dangers of internal strife and calls on all good Sunnis to follow the true path rather than a faction. As I read the statement, Ansar al-Sunna seems to be criticizing both parties to the current conflict (while mentioning neither by name), calling on the mujahideen to exercise patience and restraint, to refuse to be party to intra-Sunni fighting, and to keep an eye on who is to blame for spreading divisions. It rehearses its long-standing complaints about the ISI's attacks on Sunnis, but also warns against other factions being penetrated or manipulated by outside agents (American or America's allies). Despite being one of the nine factions allegedly participating in the anti-ISI Alliance, and having a history of conflict with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq, Ansar al-Sunna seems to be reserving judgement for now, trying to broker some kind of intra-Sunni ceasefire and stop the spiraling conflict. I might be missing something here, though - the statement was fairly long and indirect, and there may have been some veiled references here that tipped their hand. Will follow up tomorrow...
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