12 February 2004
U.S. Raises Reward for Information Leading to Capture of Zarqawi
CPA releases text of Zarqawi's "blueprint for terror in Iraq"
By David Shelby
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- Secretary of State Colin Powell has authorized an increase in the reward offered for information leading to the capture or killing of Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi from $5 million to $10 million.
This comes one day after the Coalition Provisional Authority's (CPA) February 11 release of a 17-page letter in which the Jordanian national apparently proposes a strategy of fomenting sectarian violence within Iraq in an attempt to derail efforts aimed at securing stability and democratization.
CPA officials declined to provide details about how the letter was obtained, citing the need to protect sources and methods, but General Mark Kimmitt said he is confident that the letter is authentic.
"[G]iven the initial conditions under which we obtained the document, and follow-on intelligence that has been obtained since we picked up the document, that this can be traced back to Zarqawi," Kimmitt said.
In the letter, Zarqawi states, "The Shi'a in our opinion, these are the key to change. Targeting and striking their religious, political, and military symbols, will make them show their rage against the Sunnis and bear their inner vengeance."
He continues, "If we succeed in dragging them into a sectarian war, this will awaken the sleepy Sunnis who are fearful of destruction and death at the hands of these Sabeans, i.e., the Shi'a."
The letter goes on to say, "We need to bring the Shi'a into the battle because it is the only way to prolong the duration of the fight between the infidels and us."
Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) spokesman Hamid Al-Kifaie said at a February 11 briefing in Baghdad, "Their aim is clear; destabilize Iraq and impede the transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis."
He stated, "Obviously, Zarqawi is betting on Iraqis fighting each other. But this is not going to happen. Iraqis are one nation, be they Sunnis, Shi'a, Kurds, Turkmens or Assyrians, we are all one nation."
Al-Kifaie went on to say, "We are united more than ever to establish a democratic system in Iraq. All the Iraqi political forces are united in moving forward and in applying the 15th of November agreement. So all this talk of civil strife is not going to happen. And the terrorists will be disappointed."
The letter conveys concern over the rising difficulty of carrying out terrorist operations in Iraq. The author states, "There is no doubt that our field of movement is shrinking and the grip around the throat of the Mujahidin has begun to tighten. With the spread of the army and police, our future is becoming frightening."
Specifically, the letter notes that the Iraqis are not willing to cooperate with them. "They will not allow you to make their homes a base for operations or a safe house. People who will allow you to do such things are very rare, rarer than red sulfur," Zarqawi writes.
The letter conveys a sense of urgency in derailing the democratization process before sovereignty is effectively returned to the Iraqi people.
CPA Senior Advisor Daniel Senor said, "The greatest bulwark against a successful terror strategy in this country is ... increasing the number of Iraqis serving in security services and handing over governmental authority to the Iraqi people, and we will continue to do both those things."
Zarqawi acknowledges that a successful transfer of sovereignty would likely force his movement to leave the country. "If, god forbid, the government is successful and takes control of the country, we just have to pack up and go somewhere else again, where we can raise the flag again or die, if god chooses us," the letter says.
CPA officials expressed the hope that by releasing the full text of the letter and revealing what they call "a blueprint for terror in Iraq," the Iraqi people will be more resistant to the efforts of the terrorists.
"If every Iraqi citizen recognizes that these people that are coming into their towns looking for help, claiming to be fellow Muslims here to help them out, in fact have a terrorist intent, they will turn those people in, over to the Iraqi security services, over to the coalition forces. And it will be a very clear sign to the terrorists that this is a country and that this is a coalition that is united, working together to keep terrorism out of this country," General Kimmitt said.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
This page printed from: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2004&m=February&x=20040212190217ndyblehs0.6762964&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html
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