Iraqi Papers: Al-Qa'ida on the Run?

Things are definitely changing in Iraq. It's getting harder and harder to ignore.

clipped from www.iraqslogger.com After a period of covert confrontations, including assassinations and counter-assassinations, al-Hayat said that anti-al Qa'ida Sunni groups have finally announced their public opposition to al-Qa'ida and its “Islamic state,” and declared that they will unite their efforts within an organization called “the Front for Struggle and Reform.” Clearly, one of the objectives of the new front is to further marginalize al-Qa'ida and its affiliate organizations (such as Ansar al-Sunna) and to present a “new face” for the resistance in Iraq, with the new front announcing, in its first statement, that it does not engage in attacks against Iraqi civilians. The conflict is leading to further fragmentation within al-Qa'ida, al-Hayat said, with splits announced within the organization of Ansar al-Sunna, one of the main allies of al-Qa'ida in Iraq.

More details can be found at The Fourth Rail.

The Anbar tribes' turn against al-Qaeda has developed significantly since the end of the Anbar Campaign late last year, which swept al-Qaeda and the insurgency from the major towns and cities west of Ramadi. Over the past year, the majority of the tribes have denounced al-Qaeda and formed alliances with the Iraqi government and U.S. forces operating in the region. Numerous 'foreign fighters' have been killed or captured by the tribes. The tribes are working to restore order, and are providing recruits for the police and Army, despite horrific suicide attacks on recruiting centers. These attacks have not deterred the recruiting, but in fact have motivated the tribes to fight al-Qaeda.