Sunni Split?

With over 100 American military dead this past month, it's easy to get discouraged with events in Iraq. The white flag party has gone so far as to threaten impeachment if President Bush doesn't sign their Iraq appropriations bill, but maybe some new developments are having an impact.

It was reported earlier this month that several key Sunni militant groups had severed their association with Al Qaeda in Iraq.

In the Sunni heartland of Anbar and other provinces, Sunni groups have accused Al Qaeda of killing, kidnapping and torturing dozens of their fighters, clerics and followers

One leading Sunni extremist organization, the Islamic Army, says Al Qaeda has killed more than 30 fighters from different armed factions in recent weeks.

It seems that they have finally realized that these people are NOT working for Iraq's interest and that Al Qaeda might destroy Iraq altogether.

Al-Qaida has killed more Iraqi Sunnis in Anbar province during the past month than the soldiers of the American occupation have killed within three months.

One has to wonder why it took them so long but this rift might have led to the death of Abu Ayyub al-Masri, Al Qaeda's number one man in Iraq.

Al Qaeda Leader Reportedly Killed in Iraq

An Al-Qaeda leader in Iraq, Ayyub Masri, was reportedly killed on Tuesday during an internal battle between northern Baghdad militants.

"We have definite intelligence reports that al-Masri was killed today," Interior Ministry spokesman.
Brigadier-General Abdul Kareem Khalaf told reporters.

A second source in the ministry also said Masri had been killed. Khalaf said Iraqi and US forces were not involved.

The US military claimed that it could not confirm the report yet.

Masri, an Egyptian, assumed the leadership of Al-Qaeda in Iraq after Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in a US air strike in June 2006.

According to the US military, Masri was a close associate of Zarqawi. Washington has placed a $5 million bounty on Masri's head.

***This is at least the third time his death has been reported, but there does appear to be confirmation by local authorities. Still, the US has not yet confirmed his death.