(Newsday) - It is a mistake to paint al-Zarqawi as the ultimate leader of the Iraqi insurgency because there are so many small groups of militants that might agree with al-Zarqawi ideologically but that may not necessarily take orders from him. Kurdish officials say the insurgency found renewed strength in northern Iraq in May, after the Baath Party held a meeting in the Syrian town of Hasaka. The party reorganized itself, expelling more than half the membership, or anyone who had dealings with the U.S., the Iraqi government, or even humanitarian aid groups. The new Baath leaders are Mohammad Younis al-Ahmad and Ibrahim Sabawi, Hussein's half-brother and the former head of Iraq's general security directorate. The new leadership found support in Mosul, which had been an important base for Hussein's military and security apparatus, providing more than a third of all Iraqi officers. "The insurgents are using the infrastructure of the old Iraqi army," said Sadi Ahmed Pire, in charge of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan's security operations in Mosul.
2004-12-22 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive