Iraq: Nationalists vs. Jihadists and the Sunni Split

Sunni nationalist guerrillas and jihadists battled with each other in the Iraqi capital May 31, marking a significant shift in the focus of al Qaeda and its allies, which have thus far mostly struck Shiite targets. The struggle over the leadership of the Sunni insurgency is reaching a critical phase due to the multilevel political dealings aimed at reaching a power-sharing settlement in Iraq. The jihadists are trying to exploit internal differences among the Sunnis, but they probably will not succeed since their actions likely will end up unifying the various Sunni groups against al Qaeda and its allies.