Al Qaeda Gains A Foothold In Western Iraq

Next Door To Syria, An al-Qaeda-Linked Group Is Also Gaining Ground In Iraq -- Washington Post

IRBIL, Iraq – The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, an al-Qaeda splinter group with a goal of creating a new country based on a radical interpretation of Islamic law, has launched a major campaign to establish control of territory in several provinces of Iraq.

For more than a year, the group, known as ISIS, has shown a rising determination to undermine the Iraqi state while building its military capacity through jail­breaks and recruiting drives. The organization began in Iraq, but fueled by the civil war in neighboring Syria, it has expanded its ambitions to encompass both countries.

The militant group has claimed responsibility for many, though not all, of the hundreds of attacks that have claimed more than 6,200 lives this year in Iraq, the worst violence since 2008.

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Update: Al Qaeda tightens grip on western Iraq in bid for Islamic state -- Reuters

My Comment: As long as Al Qaeda has this "safe haven" .... peace will always allude both Iraq and Syria. Not surprising .... the Iraqi foreign minister is aware of this.