Influential sheikhs and tribal heads in Anbar province pledge allegiance to group and condemn Iraqi government.
A number of Sunni tribal sheikhs and tribes in Iraq’s Anbar province have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.
The sheikhs and tribal leaders made the pledge on Wednesday in Fallujah in a statement read out by Ahmed Dara al-Jumaili, an influential sheikh, after a meeting.
Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan, reporting from Baghdad, said it was not yet clear if the tribes had been forced to pledge allegiance by ISIL fighters, who control Fallujah and most of Anbar.
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“The statement they issued was very strong – it condemned the government.
“It said the only way that peace would come to Anbar province is if the tribes joined ISIL.”
Our correspondent said the inclusion of the al-Jumaili tribe in the pledge was of particular concern for Iraqi authorities, given its influence in Anbar.
“The al-Jumailis command a number of fighters and they have a large amount of influence over other tribes [in Anbar],” he said.
The pledge comes after a number of Sunni leaders in Anbar publicly criticised the involvement of Shia units in the fight to retake areas of the province from ISIL, including the provincial capital Ramadi, which fell last month.
While a number of Sunni tribes have joined with government forces and Shia units, Al Jazeera’s Khan reported that a number of tribal leaders have asked for government support to fight ISIL.
“They said ‘If you arm us, if you allow us to fight as Sunnis, we will be able to get rid of ISIL quite quickly’,” he said.
“The fact that a number of these tribes have come together … and pledged allegiance to ISIL shows the level of anger the Sunni tribes feel towards the government in Baghdad.”
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In another development, Iraqi security forces used anti-tank missiles to repel suicide bombers driving explosives-rigged vehicles who attacked two military bases west of Baghdad, an army officer said on Thursday.
The day before, an air strike in northern Iraq destroyed one of ISIL’s largest car bomb factories, which may help to curb one of ISIL’s deadliest tactics, officials said.
ISIL attacked a base north of Fallujah with two explosives-rigged vehicles driven by suicide bombers, and another south of the city with four more, including a bulldozer, an army colonel said.
The attacks were foiled using Russian Kornet anti-tank missiles, the officer said.
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Source: Al Jazeera
