Militants' Web site connects al-Qaida, al-Zarqawi

By RAWYA RAGEH
The Associated Press

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is a suspect in beheadings.

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BAGHDAD, Iraq — The most feared anti-American group in Iraq, Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad, seemingly declared its allegiance to Osama bin Laden yesterday, saying it had agreed with al-Qaida over strategy and the need for unity against "the enemies of Islam."

The authenticity of the declaration, which appeared on a Web site often used as a clearinghouse for statements by militant groups, could not be independently confirmed. Al-Zarqawi is suspected of — or taken responsibility for — dozens of car-bomb attacks in Iraq, including last year's bombing of the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad, and the beheading of numerous foreign hostages.

The Bush administration said it was still trying to confirm the report.

"But we've always said there were ties between Zarqawi and al-Qaida, which underscores once again why Iraq is the central front in the war on terror," White House spokesman Trent Duffy said in Washington.

"It's also proof positive of why the president's firm resolve to fight terrorists overseas so we don't face them in America's neighborhoods is the only clear way to prevail."

In Cairo, Mohammed Salah, an expert on Islamic militancy, said that claims that bin Laden and al-Zarqawi were in regular contact was "more or less a media stunt to frustrate" their common opponent, the U.S.

However, there are practical as well as political advantages to the two joining forces.

Not only can al-Zarqawi, who has a background as a common criminal, profit from bin Laden's stature among radical Muslims, but bin Laden, who is believed to be hiding in Afghanistan or in the border areas of Pakistan, adds an effective tool to his terrorist organization.

"By virtue of his location, al-Zarqawi has more access to the Americans, which will make it easier for al-Qaida to carry out operations without logistical complications or time delays," Salah said.
 
"Bin Laden is on the run and hiding. He's become a symbol, as opposed to al-Zarqawi's actual presence on the ground that has made him a definite planner and executor."

Al-Zarqawi's relationship to bin Laden and the al-Qaida leadership has been the subject of considerable speculation. Although many experts believe al-Zarqawi had longtime ties to al-Qaida, others suspect that al-Zarqawi considered himself a rival to bin Laden for the mantle of chief defender of the Muslim faith.

The Web statement yesterday affirmed the "allegiance of Tawhid and Jihad's leadership and soldiers to the chief of all fighters, Osama bin Laden." It said the announcement had been timed for the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan when "Muslims need more than ever to stick together in the face of the religion's enemies."

The statement also endorsed bin Laden's goal to "expel the infidels from the Arabian peninsula" — a reference to American influence in the al-Qaida leader's native Saudi Arabia, birthplace of the Islamic faith.

Al-Zarqawi's declaration appeared two days after the U.S. government formally declared Tawhid and Jihad a terrorist organization. The listing imposes several restrictions on the group, including a ban on travel to the United States and a freeze on the group's assets in U.S. banks.

Al-Zarqawi also was indicted yesterday in his native Jordan along with 12 other alleged Muslim militants on charges of plotting a chemical attack that could have killed thousands of people.

Al-Zarqawi and three of the others will be tried in absentia on charges including conspiring to commit terrorism, possessing and manufacturing explosives and affiliation with a banned group, according to the 24-page indictment.

The indictment alleged al-Zarqawi sent more than $118,000 to buy two vehicles that would be driven into Jordan's General Intelligence Department by suicide bombers armed with explosives and chemicals.

U.S. and Iraqi officials believe al-Zarqawi's movement is centered in the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, where U.S. troops clashed yesterday with militants. However, Tawhid and Jihad banners have been seen recently in Samarra, Ramadi and even on the streets of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.