Counterterrorism Research Library Iraq AI Distances Itself From “Criminal Behavior” by Mujahideen in Iraq
AI Distances Itself From “Criminal Behavior” by Mujahideen in Iraq
Last Updated (Monday, 29 November 1999 19:00) Written by Evan Kohlmann Monday, 03 November 2008 19:00
The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a new communiqué issued by the Ansar al-Islam Organization in Iraq (formerly known as the Ansar al-Sunnah Army), in which the group distanced itself from “illegal actions” and “criminal behavior” allegedly committed by unspecified factions from within the jihadi movement in Iraq. Rejecting any responsibility for these “incidents”, the statement argued, “May Allah forbid that Ansar [al-Islam] would remain silent in the face of abominable actions as an approval of them—to the contrary, we have relied on remaining silent as our policy for a specific stage and for a specific purpose, which we consider to be crucial for us. Our silence is not based on actions—if it were so, it would be a false silence according to Shariah—but, rather, the silence was aimed at [avoiding] publishing condemnations in the media, because the enemy uses a strategy of media publicity for propaganda and to create rifts within the ranks of the mujahideen.”
