To the militant underworld it may be a match made in heaven, but from Washington’s point of view it’s a marriage of evil.
Jordanian Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, who is now the most wanted man in Iraq, appears to have pledged allegiance to Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaida.The US administration has long accused Al Zarqawi and his Tawhid Wal Jihad Group of being allied to Bin Laden’s network, but there was no hard and fast proof.
Many terrorism analysts had in fact believed the organisations to be at odds, with Al Zarqawi seeking to outdo Bin Laden in a war with the West. Bin Laden perhaps saw Al Zarqawi as something of a rough-hewn upstart beyond his control.
But an announcement posted on an website on Sunday appeared to indicate at least some of the differences had been cleared up, with Al Zarqawi’s group saying lengthy on-off talks had succeeded.
“With the advent of Ramadan and the need for Muslims to unify ranks in the face of the enemy... We announce that the Tawhid Wal Jihad Group, its prince and soldiers, have pledged allegiance to the shaikh of the mujahideen Osama bin Laden,” said the statement.
Close contact
“Shaikh Abu Musab was in contact with the brothers in Al Qaida for eight months, exchanging points of view, then contact was interrupted only to be restored again and the brothers in Al Qaida understood Tawhid Wal Jihad Group’s strategy in (Iraq),” said the statement, posted on several sites used by militants.
The US has has offered a $25 million reward for Al Zarqawi’s death or capture.
