Iraqi Insurgents Announce Creation of Islamic Caliphate

Sunni insurgents linked to al-Qaida recently announced the establishment of a de facto Islamic emirate that encompasses much of western Iraq.

The Mujahideen Shura Council, a militant umbrella organization that includes al-Qaida in Iraq, announced on Sunday, October 15, 2006 the formation of the "Islamic State in Iraq."

The state within a state includes the Sunni dominated provinces of Anbar, Diyala, Kirkuk, Salaheddin, and Nineveh as well as the Sunni regions of Baghdad, Wasit, and Babil.

The decleration came in the form of a video message posted on the Internet. The video can be viewed here courtesy of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

The Islamic State in Iraq will be purportedly led by the "Emir of the Believers," the little-known militant Abu Omar al-Baghdadi.

This latest proclamation comes on the heels of another recent announcement. On October 12 the same group released a video unveiling the so-called "Mutayibeen Coalition." According to the message the alliance includes the Mujahideen Shura Council along with three smaller guerilla groups as well as several regional tribes.

Over the past several days, insurgents claiming to hail from the Mujahideen Shura Council staged parades celebrating the creation of the Islamic State in Iraq in the violence-wrecked city of Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad. Mosque loudspeakers reportedly blared the group's communiqué throughout the city as part of the publicity stunt.

Al-Qaida in Iraq's new leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri appears to be making it a prerogative to reach out to the disparate Sunni tribes and insurgent groups that compose the whole of the Iraqi insurgency.

The ruthless and uncompromising tactics of al-Qaida in Iraq's previous leader, the slain Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, alienated many in the Sunni militant community.