Iraq: Al-Zarqawi's Futile Gesture to the Shia

Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi issued a statement Sept. 19 saying his group would not target the movement led by radical Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, because al-Sadr is not cooperating with the United States. Al-Zarqawi is trying to exploit intra-Shiite tensions and seeking to broaden the base of the mostly Sunni insurgency in an effort to derail the ongoing political process. This attempt will fail because al-Sadr cannot afford to be seen as having any connection with the man whose group has murdered hundreds of Shia.