Qaeda’s Zarqawi declares war on Iraq Shi’ites-Web

DUBAI (Reuters) – Iraq’s al Qaeda leader Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi on Wednesday declared a war on Shi’ite Muslims in
Iraq in response to a U.S.-Iraqi offensive on the rebel town of
Tal Afar, according to an Internet audio tape.

“Al Qaeda Organization in Iraq … has declared war against
Shi’ites in all of Iraq,” said the voice which could not be
immediately verified but sounded like previous recordings
attributed to Zarqawi.

“As for the government, servants of the crusaders headed by
(Iraqi Prime Minister) Ibrahim Jaafari, they have declared a
war on Sunnis in Tal Afar. You have begun and started the
attacks and you won’t see mercy from us,” it added.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Sunni-Muslim al Qaeda said in an
Internet posting it was waging a nationwide suicide bombing
campaign to avenge the military offensive against Sunni rebels
in Tal Afar, in which more than 200 insurgents have been killed
and several hundreds captured.

Iraqi government officials have accused Sunni Arab
militants of attacking Shi’ites, who swept to power in January
polls boycotted by most Sunnis, in a bid to spark a civil war.

The Jordanian-born militant said Shi’ites and U.S. forces
were collaborating against Sunnis and described the offensive
in Tal Afar as an “organized sectarian war.”

“Days pass and battles are numbered and the goal is one:
the Crusader-Shi’ite war against Sunnis. Shi’ite districts in
the city were avoided and a war of ethnic cleansing war was
directed at Sunnis,” he said.

“The interests of Crusaders and Shi’ites have coincided
with each other.”

Zarqawi also warned Iraqis and tribal leaders they would be
killed if they collaborated with U.S. forces.

“Whoever is found to be a member of the National Guard,
army or is a spy will be killed and his house will be
demolished.

“We warn tribal leaders if it is confirmed that they are
implicated with crusaders and apostates, they will be
targeted,” he said.

Bombs exploded across Baghdad all day. In one explosion,
114 people were killed and 156 wounded when a suicide attacker
lured Shi’ite laborers to his minivan and blew it up.