Iraqi insurgent organization declares formation of Islamic region

"A bloc of Sunni insurgent groups marked the anniversary by declaring a separate Islamic republic in Iraq, stretching from the western province of Anbar to Baghdad, Kirkuk and other parts of the north. The announcement was made by a spokesman for the Mujaheddin Shura Council, an umbrella organization of insurgent groups that includes al-Qaeda in Iraq, and aired by al-Jazeera satellite television.
The statement noted the creation of a separate Kurdish republic in northern Iraq and a push by some Shiite parties for a separate republic in the south. The Shiite region, with the aid of Iran, had been 'protecting militias with black hearts and minds that have delved deeply into the killing, torturing and displacing of the Sunnis, our people,' it said.
A key Sunni bloc, the Muslim Scholars Association, denounced the declaration, as did some Sunni insurgent groups, including the Islamic Army, which said in a statement that it was not an enemy of the country's Shiites and was against the breakup of Iraq."

source
The Washington Post. Dozens Of Iraqis Killed in Reprisals. October 16, 2006.

posted: tuesday, october 17, 2006, 1:52 AM ET
update: tuesday, october 17, 2006, 2:04 AM ET