Iraq: The Implications of a United Insurgency

STRATFOR has learned from Sunni tribal sources in Iraq that some 10 groups from across the ideological and geographic spectrum have coalesced into a united organization, coming together under the banner of the Unified Command of the Mujahideen. Shortly after its formation, the group issued a communique threatening to strike at Iraqi infrastructure if U.S. and Iraqi forces did not relent on their offensive operations in the Sunni Triangle. This previously unprecedented cooperation among insurgents has wide-ranging implications for the ongoing insurgency and also offers the United States and the Iraqi government a focal point through which they can begin to negotiate settlements with a wider range of insurgents.