BAGHDAD -- Monday's attack on the Palestine Hotel was not targeting journalists, I've learned, but a security company in the hotel, according to my sources in the insurgency. (You can read the full article I did for TIME.com here.)
According to sources, who remain anonymous, al Qaeda in Iraq and Jaysh al-Muhammad, one of the largest Ba'athist groups, staged the joint operation in order to attack and kill members of one of the security firms stationed in the Palestine. Journalists were not specifically targeted, but because the plan was to get the huge cement truck bomb under the Palestine and bring down much of the building, I'm told, it seems impossible that journalists would have escaped injury.
The Palestine is well-known in Baghdad as a haunt for journalists and security companies.
Al-Qaeda in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, saying it attacked "the intelligence agencies, American, Australian and British security companies and the thieves of the treasures of Iraq," referring to contractors. Insurgent sources also told me they believe the targeted security firm is actually a western or Israeli intelligence agency. Statements signed by Abu Maisara, the "spokesman" for al Qaeda, have been authenticated in the past.
Jaysh al-Muhammad is not mentioned in the statement.
The actual attack was carried out by the Lions of Bara'a bin Malik, a group affiliated with Al Qaeda in Iraq but made up of Iraqi suicide bombers. (Bara'a bin Malik was Islam's first suicide attacker, who lived -- and died -- in the time of the Prophet.)
While it seems counter-intuitive that secular Ba'athists would work with jihadis of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's stripe, they sometimes combine forces for large operations against their common enemy: foreigners and infidels. They also often share information and techniques.
Impressive scoop!
Ba’athists, jihadis, and foreign fighters working together isn’t a surprise to anyone working under the concept of AIF as the military puts it. Like coalition forces, different groups often work best with separate AORs but sometimes work alongside, and in some cases ISTR some of those groups join on an op in terms of intel sharing. Combined arms would be unusual, though, in larger amounts—this may be a surprise. (OTOH there are some interesting developments in how the Badr Corps guys and AQ are getting along recently.)
My initial read of the posed reason for targeting the Palestine Hotel is that the stated reason is false—the AIF guys well know what the effect of a large boom with cameras means, and attacking the Palestine is an excellent way to get into the news again after other stories drove them off. Admitting this to a journo, though, would not be politic.
I’d take the source’s statements with a big grain of salt.
Saddam created Jaish Muhammad not long before the collapse of his regime.
Enjoyed chatting with you last evening Chris. Glad to hear you were okay, albeit exhausted. Perhaps we’ll have a chance to talk another day when you’ve had a chance to review all that you’ve learned and done what you can from a position of greater comfort.
All the best from Oz.
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interesting comment there—
” Insurgent sources also told me they believe the targeted security firm is actually a western or Israeli intelligence agency.”
I know some of those guys. If the above quoted statement is really indicitive of what insurgents believe—then it proves that insurgents are following leaders who don’t even have common sense—like a bunch of mindless sheep.
Sheep with explosives.
Chris, you mentioned, (in another post) that it rattled your windows. Over here—it downright scared the hell out of everyone. We could feel the air pushed past our faces.
“The actual attack was carried out by the Lions of Bara’a bin Malik, a group affiliated with Al Qaeda in Iraq but made up of Iraqi suicide bombers.”
I doubt that there is such a thing of (a group of Iraqi suicide bombers), most of the suicidal attacks are carried out by foreigners (Arabs or Afghanians or whoever brainwashed extremists), but for Iraqis, even the Sunni extremists and Wahabis, may be only rare cases, but it’s just not an Iraqi culture.