Qaeda group in Iraq threatens to attack Iranians

Dubai, July 9: The leader of an al Qaeda-linked group in Iraq vowed in an audio tape to attack Iranians unless Iran cut off its support for the Iraqi government within two months.

''We give the ... Persians in general, and leaders of Iran in particular, two months to withdraw their support and presence in Iraq,'' Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, leader of the self-styled Islamic State in Iraq, said in the 50-minute audio tape posted on Islamist Web site which has often carried al Qaeda statements.

In the first such threat by his group, Baghdadi said that unless Iran met his demands, the group would wage a ''brutal war'' against Iranians.

''We announce it today, our hands will not stay far from you,'' he said. He did not say whether the group would mount attacks inside Iran.

Baghdadi said his group's decision was the result of Iran's support for its fellow Shi'ite Muslims in Iraq, and accused Tehran of being behind the burning of Sunni Muslim mosques and killings of Sunni leaders.

''We have prepared four years for this war, and all that remains is to give the orders,'' he said.

The Sunni militant group has previously claimed responsibility for killing Iraqi police officers and suicide attacks on Iraqi and U.S. military posts.

In May, Iraq's Interior Ministry said Baghdadi had been killed, but the group denied his death in a Web posting.

Baghdadi said the ultimatum covered financial organisations and banks in Iraq that deal with Iran, without elaborating.

He warned Sunni businessmen against doing business with Iran and urged Arab states to denounce the Iraqi government.

''We give a precious chance to all countries that host the rejectionist Persians to issue a statement of condemnation denouncing the crimes committed by the rejectionist government (of Iraq),'' he said. Sunni Islamists often refer to Shi'ites as ''rejectionists''.

''They will be safe from our attacks if they do so within two months.''

Reuters

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