Al Qaeda in Iraq mounts comeback - Washington Times
Thursday, March 08, 2012
But right after the last U.S. troops left Iraq in mid-December, the Sunni Muslim AQI claimed responsibility for a string of deadly attacks, primarily against Shiites, whose sect dominates Iraq's government. Last week, an AQI spokesman claimed that it had carried out multiple bombings that killed 55.
A U.S. official told The Washington Times that AQI is carrying out more attacks this year than it did in the second half of 2011, when the U.S. military was pulling out. But the increased violence does not mean AQI is back to its old strength, the official said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, provided AQI and the minority Sunnis a recruiting mantra when he ordered the arrest of the country’s highest-ranking Sunni leader the day after U.S. troops exited.
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By Rowan Scarborough-The Washington Times
link submitted by John Branin