Sunni face new conflict in Iraq war

[ECH1969]

With Baghdad shaken by daily outbreaks of sectarian violence, in Iraq's western al-Anbar province, groups of former Iraqi Baathists are battling armed Islamist groups for control of this largely desert region near the Syrian border.

The former Baathist fighters are believed to be relatively secular while their opponents share al-Qaeda's dream of establishing an Islamic caliphate in Iraq which will then be a launchpad for carrying out attacks around the Middle East.

In early November, this growing conflict took a new turn when masked gunmen linked to al-Qaeda distributed flyers and posters throughout al-Anbar province threatening to execute anyone from Al-Awda. "The Baath secular party will find no quarter in the new principality of the Islamic State of Iraq," read one flyer.

Since then, several high-ranking officials from the former Iraqi army have been found murdered throughout Anbar province. These include former Major General Saab Al-Rawi, Major General Saud Al-Naimi and Wagih Dherar Al-Mawla, a former senior officer in the Iraqi Air Force stationed in Habbaniyah.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/FC6E5C31-9CAF-40B7-9F9F-D7818BD0B520.htm