Haweeja tribes declare war on Zarqawi

Tribal leaders in Haweeja, one of the most tense areas of Iraq, have launched a war against terrorist groups linked with al-Qaeda in Iraq, headed by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They issued a declaration on February 28 allowing the killing of anyone involved in sabotage operations such as murder, abduction, property destruction, targeting of security forces, and attacks on oil facilities. Anyone connected with al-Qaeda or engaged in such violence is deemed to be “not Muslim”. The move comes after a wave of assassinations in the neighbourhood in the last five weeks.