• Why Jihad Watch?
  • About Robert Spencer and Staff Writers
  • FAQ
  • Books
  • Muhammad
  • Islam 101
  • Privacy

Jihad Watch

Exposing the role that Islamic jihad theology and ideology play in the modern global conflicts

Maliki: Saudi Arabia and Qatar are supporting Sunni jihadists in Iraq

Mar 8, 2014 7:50 pm By Robert Spencer

MalikiSaudi Arabia and Qatar are supporting Sunni jihadists, and Iran is supporting Maliki’s weak Shi’ite regime. Meanwhile the Sunni/Shi’ite that was reignited in Iraq has now spread to Syria and Lebanon. This 1,400-year-old conflict will outlive all the Washington establishment analysts such as Condoleezza Rice, who so confidently waved it away a few years ago.

“Saudi Arabia and Qatar in ‘war on Iraq’: Maliki,” by Mohamad Ali Harissi for AFP, March 8 (thanks to Maxwell):

Baghdad (AFP) – Saudi Arabia and Qatar are supporting militant groups in Iraq and have effectively declared war on the country, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said as nationwide violence left 15 dead Saturday.

The rare direct attack on the Sunni Gulf powers, with Maliki also accusing Riyadh of supporting global terrorism, comes with Iraq embroiled in its worst prolonged period of bloodshed since 2008, with more than 1,800 people killed already this year, ahead of parliamentary elections due next month.

The bloodletting in Iraq, which shares a long border with Saudi Arabia, has been driven principally by widespread discontent among the country’s Sunni Arab minority and by the civil war in neighbouring Syria.

Maliki, a Shiite, has in the past blamed unnamed regional countries and neighbours for destabilising Iraq.

But in an interview with France 24 broadcast on Saturday, the Iraqi premier said allegations he was marginalising Sunnis were being pushed by “sectarians with ties to foreign agendas, with Saudi and Qatari incitement”.

Referring to the two countries, he said: “They are attacking Iraq, through Syria and in a direct way, and they announced war on Iraq, as they announced it on Syria, and unfortunately it is on a sectarian and political basis.”
View gallery
Iraqi Shiite mourners carry the coffin of a victim …
Iraqi Shiite mourners carry the coffin of a victim killed the previous day in the Sadr City district …

“These two countries are primarily responsible for the sectarian and terrorist and security crisis of Iraq.”

Saudi Arabia and Qatar have emerged as regional rivals because, while both have provided support to fighters opposed to embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the two countries have also sparred in recent weeks over Doha’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood of deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi.

Saudi Arabia, along with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, withdrew its ambassador to Qatar this month.

Baghdad has long complained that support for militant groups fighting in Syria’s civil war finds its way through to Iraq with weapons in particular ending up in the hands of jihadists.

Maliki said in the interview that Riyadh and Doha were providing political, financial and media support to militant groups and accused them of “buying weapons for the benefit of these terrorist organisations”.
View gallery
Iraqi Shiite men mourn the death of a relative killed …
Iraqi Shiite men mourn the death of a relative killed the previous day in an attack in the Sadr City …

– ‘Dangerous Saudi stance’ –

In the interview, Maliki also accused Saudi Arabia of supporting global terrorism, both inside the Arab world and in other countries.

He slammed “the dangerous Saudi stance” of supporting “terrorism in the world — it supports it in Syria and Iraq and Lebanon and Egypt and Libya and even in countries outside” the Arab world.

Maliki in January blamed “diabolical” and “treacherous” Arab countries but has consistently refused to point directly at particular states.

But, as violence has worsened markedly in Iraq — the death toll from attacks and clashes last month was more than triple that of February 2013 — and with elections due on April 30, Maliki has taken a hard line, pushing security operations against militants.

He has also called for greater coordination against militancy, with Baghdad due to host an international counter-terrorism conference on March 12.

On Saturday, violence nationwide killed at least 15 people, including a parliamentary election candidate — the second murdered this year — and four children, security and medical sources said.

Election candidates have been targeted in the past, with nearly 20 killed ahead of April 2013 provincial council elections.

Attacks in Baghdad and north of the capital, meanwhile, left 14 others dead.

Violence has killed at least 110 people so far this month, and more than 1,800 since the beginning of the year, according to AFP figures based on security and medical sources.

Diplomats and analysts have urged Iraq’s Shiite-led authorities to pursue reconciliation with the Sunni minority in addition to security operations, but political leaders have been loath to compromise ahead of elections and have offered little in the way of concessions.

And while officials have trumpeted moves against militants for months, violence has remained at its worst since Iraq emerged from a brutal Sunni-Shiite sectarian war in 2008, and anti-government fighters have held control of Fallujah, a major city on Baghdad’s doorstep, for more than two months.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Follow me on Facebook

Filed Under: Iraq, Sunni-Shi'ite Jihad Tagged With: featured


Learn more about RevenueStripe...

Comments

  1. Veracious_one says

    Mar 8, 2014 at 9:28 pm

    have you ever noticed Muslims always attack other Muslims with both sides quoting from the same Qur’an as justification for doing so? Islam must be the cause of all this violence….

    • Inchoate says

      Mar 9, 2014 at 8:12 am

      This reinforces my repeated commenting on our containment/quarantining/ complete withdrawal from that West/Central Asian sand-pit cesspool and let these Muslims slit each others’ throats without our being in the way, and sacrificing our young lived for their ungrateful Iraqi and Afghani asses.

      OK …World….. it’s your turn now to sacrifice your young lives and Treasuries. “You’re welcome….” for all of our contributions in the past [sarc. off].

  2. dumbledoresarmy says

    Mar 8, 2014 at 10:46 pm

    Drybones’ take on the Sunni-Shiite gang wars:

    http://drybonesblog.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/the-war.html

  3. Salah says

    Mar 9, 2014 at 12:29 am

    “..Maliki also accusing Riyadh of supporting global terrorism..”

    This is changing. Now the Saudis are starting to realize that terrorism works both ways!!!

    Reuters:
    Saudi Arabia designates Muslim Brotherhood terrorist group
    http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/07/us-saudi-security-idUSBREA260SM20140307

  4. umbra says

    Mar 9, 2014 at 3:51 am

    part of islam’s holy war,
    is iran’s and saudi’s proxy war,
    shias and sunnis are targets of this war,
    those that are neither are also victims of this war,
    and so it is safer to be a camel than human during this war.

  5. jewdog says

    Mar 9, 2014 at 9:05 am

    Sung to the tune of “Who’s Makin Love?”:
    Who’s blowin’ up, your jihadis,
    While you were out blowin’ up?
    Doo doo do do duh..

  6. tpellow says

    Mar 9, 2014 at 9:19 am

    And today’s Islamikaze massacre in Iraq:-

    “Suicide car bomb, attacks kill at least 42 in Iraq”

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-2576653/Suicide-car-bomb-attacks-kill-42-Iraq.html#ixzz2vTVrIg9c

  7. fair_dinkum says

    Mar 10, 2014 at 1:59 am

    iraq will just keep burning, no matter who is in charge.
    sunni / shia conflict will never cease.

FacebookYoutubeTwitterLog in

Subscribe to the Jihad Watch Daily Digest

You will receive a daily mailing containing links to the stories posted at Jihad Watch in the last 24 hours.
Enter your email address to subscribe.

Please wait...

Thank you for signing up!
If you are forwarding to a friend, please remove the unsubscribe buttons first, as they my accidentally click it.

Subscribe to all Jihad Watch posts

You will receive immediate notification.
Enter your email address to subscribe.
Note: This may be up to 15 emails a day.

Donate to JihadWatch
FrontPage Mag

Search Site

Translate

The Team

Robert Spencer in FrontPageMag
Robert Spencer in PJ Media

Articles at Jihad Watch by
Robert Spencer
Hugh Fitzgerald
Christine Douglass-Williams
Andrew Harrod
Jamie Glazov
Daniel Greenfield

Contact Us

Terror Attacks Since 9/11

Archives

  • 2020
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2019
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2018
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2017
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2016
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2015
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2014
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2013
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2012
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2011
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2010
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2009
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2008
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2007
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2006
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2005
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2004
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2003
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • March

All Categories

You Might Like

Learn more about RevenueStripe...

Recent Comments

  • gravenimage on New study reveals that Muslim religiosity strongly linked to hatred towards the West
  • Shaman on Iranian Kurdistan: Muslim brothers behead their sister in honor killing over her romantic relationship
  • gravenimage on New study reveals that Muslim religiosity strongly linked to hatred towards the West
  • gravenimage on Chief Rabbi of UK Says It’s ‘Alarming’ That 44% of Muslims Are Anti-Semitic
  • Boycott Turkey on Iranian Kurdistan: Muslim brothers behead their sister in honor killing over her romantic relationship

Popular Categories

dhimmitude Sharia Jihad in the U.S ISIS / Islamic State / ISIL Iran Free Speech

Robert Spencer FaceBook Page

Robert Spencer Twitter

Robert Spencer twitter

Robert Spencer YouTube Channel

Books by Robert Spencer

Jihad Watch® is a registered trademark of Robert Spencer in the United States and/or other countries - Site Developed and Managed by Free Speech Defense

Content copyright Jihad Watch, Jihad Watch claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyright to their respective owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and you do not wish for it appear on this site, please E-mail with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed.

Our mailing address is: David Horowitz Freedom Center, P.O. Box 55089, Sherman Oaks, CA 91499-1964

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.