Iraq Islamist groups form rival coalition to Qaeda

DUBAI, May 3 (Reuters) Three Sunni Islamist insurgent groups said today they had formed a coalition that aimed to expel US-led forces from Iraq and appeared to distance itself from al Qaeda-linked organisations in the country.

The Islamic Army in Iraq, the Mujahideen Army and Ansar al-Sunna (Sharia Council), an offshoot of the established Ansar al-Sunna group, said they would avoid spilling civilian blood, according to an Internet statement.

''The Jihad and Reform Front ... pledges to continue with the duty of jihad in Iraq until all objectives, including the complete withdrawal of the occupiers in all their guises and the establishment of God's religion .... are met,'' it said.

''The military actions of the mujahideen will target the occupiers and their collaborators and will not target the innocents whom jihad aims to lead to victory.'' Fighters had a duty to plan their attacks well and consider their consequences, it said.

The authenticity of the statement could not be verified. It was posted on Web sites used by Islamist militant groups.

There has been increasing friction between al Qaeda's Iraq wing and other Sunni Arab insurgent groups in Iraq, particularly over al Qaeda's indiscriminate killing of civilians.

Government officials have blamed al Qaeda for an attack on a Shi'ite Muslim shrine in the city of Samarra more than a year ago, an act that triggered a surge in sectarian bloodshed that has driven Iraq towards all-out civil war.

The Jihad and Reform Front appears to have been established as a rival to the self-styled Islamic State in Iraq, set up last year by al Qaeda in Iraq and other Sunni Arab militant groups and which has since claimed responsibility for major attacks.

The front condemned the US-backed government and the political process in Iraq, rejecting Iraqi elections that it labelled ''sectarian'' and the constitution. It also vowed not to get enmeshed in internal disputes.

''The mujahideen are the protectors of the religion and its people and one of their priorities is to protect Muslim blood, money and honour and to reduce the burden on residential areas,'' it said.

REUTERS SG PM1650