Militants condemn al-Qaida in Iraq

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Islamic militant groups in Iraq are condemning an alleged conspiracy by al-Qaida in Iraq to attack fellow jihadis, Internet statements suggest.

Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, leaders of the Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella group consisting of al-Qaida in Iraq and other militants, had accused other jihadi groups of collaborating with the U.S. "occupation" and the Iraqi government in Baghdad, targeting its guns on the "apostates."

Several insurgent groups, notably the Iraqi Islamic Party of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Army of Iraq, supported statements posted by "Shareef" on a jihadist Web site criticizing ISI statements, an analysis published by The Jamestown Foundation in Washington said.

"You have tested our patience," Shareef writes. "We can no longer watch you fall for manipulations by hypocrites and infidels."

In the message, Shareef ponders the standards used by ISI to identify legitimate jihadists, saying the ISI criteria permit the murder of fellow fighters in opposition to the teachings of Islam, a move he says destabilizes the Iraqi resistance movement.

Shareef calls on al-Qaida in Iraq to focus its energy on the American occupation, saying it is wrong for the group to challenge the ideology of other opposition movements.

"It's insane to pass irrational judgments on other jihadi groups without carefully scrutinizing their actions and jihadi practices," he writes.