By Maamoun Youssef
The Associated Press, 19 April 2007
CAIRO, Egypt - An insurgent coalition announced an "Islamic Cabinet" for Iraq in a Web video posted on Thursday, naming the head of al-Qaida in Iraq as "minister of war."
The announcement appeared to be a propaganda move by the Islamic State in Iraq coalition to present itself as an alternative government opposed to the U.S.-backed, Shiite-led administration of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
The Islamic State of Iraq is a coalition of eight insurgent groups, the most powerful of them al-Qaida in Iraq. It was first announced in October, claiming to hold territory in the Sunni-dominated areas of western and central Iraq.
In Thursday's video, a man identified as a spokesman for the group appeared, with his face obscured, speaking from behind a desk with a flat-screen computer.
"It is the duty at our present stage to form this Cabinet, the first Islamic Cabinet, which has faith in God," said the spokesman, wearing robes and a red kaffiyeh headdress.
He then listed a 10-member "Cabinet," including Abu Hamza al-Muhajer as "war minister."
Al-Muhajer is the name announced as the successor of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, who was killed in the summer of 2006.
Al-Qaida in Iraq is blamed for some of the deadliest suicide bombings against Shiite civilians, as well as numerous attacks on U.S. troops and Iraqi soldiers and police.
The names listed by the spokesman were all pseudonyms, and their real names were not known. The Islamic state is led by Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, who holds the title of "emir (prince) of the faithful."
Sheik Abu Abdul-Rahman al-Falahi was named as the emir's "first minister," the spokesman said. Other positions included ministers of information, "prisoners and martyrs," agriculture and health.
The issuing of the video could also be aimed at strengthening the Islamic State of Iraq's status among supporters after a rare public dispute between it and other insurgent groups not part of the coalition.
In the past week, another Sunni insurgent group, the Islamic Army in Iraq, has issued statements accusing al-Qaida of killing its members and trying to force others to join its ranks. Al-Baghdadi tried to patch up the dispute by issuing a Web audiotape this week calling for unity and promising to punish any of his group's members who kill other insurgents.
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Citation: Maamoun Youssef. "Insurgents announce 'Islamic Cabinet'," The Associated Press, 19 April 2007.
Original URL: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070419/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_insurgent_government_2;_ylt=AsCkCpG56GYc70R48RMLCHdX6GMA
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