By Oliver Poole
The Telegraph, UK, 23 January 2006
Supporters of al-Qa'eda in Iraq have used the elections staged by the United States to gain positions of political power, the American military believes.
According to senior officers based in Anbar province, an insurgent stronghold in western Iraq, al-Qa'eda-linked politicians have gained seats in local elections to provincial assemblies.
None would publicly accuse any politicians by name or comment on the number under suspicion, but they are convinced that al-Qa'eda influence is particularly prevalent in the border towns of Qaim and Hit.
Al-Qa'eda was virulently opposed to the national elections held in Iraq last year, describing the votes in January and December as a "trick of Satan" and promising to kill anyone who voted.
But the news that some of the organisation's supporters have gained seats at the local level illustrates both how it has adapted its tactics and the level of penetration it has achieved in Iraqi society.
American intelligence has also learnt that not only are some of its supporters now politicians but that a number of its leaders have married into leading local tribes to secure alliances.
Although the organisation, headed by the Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, originally consisted primarily of foreign fighters, it now has many Iraqi supporters, with one US official estimating that Iraqis have made up a majority of its active members since the middle of last year.
Al-Qa'eda's decision to engage in the political process in Anbar is believed to reflect factors that have undermined its effectiveness in the region.
The decision last autumn to establish permanent military bases in Qaim and Hit containing US and Iraqi forces has limited its ability to control the surrounding areas, while a series of operations by American marines disrupted its networks by destroying safe houses and killing or arresting its members.
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Citation: Oliver Poole. "Al-Qa'eda supporters win seats in local polls," The Telegraph, UK, 23 January 2006.
Original URL: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/01/23/walqa23.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/01/23/ixworld.html
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