Race against time to stop Iraq civil war

"AFTER travelling many miles on foot to Baghdad, the three young suicide bombers felt wretched and weary. They were obeying last week’s call by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to wage “all-out war” on the Shi’ite Muslim population of Iraq but if they were the finest the terrorist leader could offer, they did not inspire much confidence.
The would-be martyrs, two from Syria and one from Saudi Arabia, were seeking the help of a senior Iraqi insurgent commander, “Abu Ahmad”, who eyed them with concern.



“They were tired and said they hadn’t eaten anything for two days,” he said.

With little knowledge of the area, they asked the rebel leader if he would direct them to a suitable target. They also hoped he would supply a force of 25 men to attack the Iraqi police who would inevitably arrive on the scene to mop up once they had detonated themselves.

Abu Ahmad has extensive links with insurgent groups, including Zarqawi’s Al-Qaeda in Iraq, but he balked at this request. Although he claimed to respect the “ardour” of the suicide bombers, he could not condone their tactics.

“It is one thing to attack the Iraqi security forces, the national guard, the police and those who assist the American occupiers, but it is wrong to attack innocent civilians on the basis of their religion,” he explained. “That’s where my group and many others like us draw the line.” "
Times Online