Sunni insurgents vs. Al Qaeda in Iraq?

The conservative British Daily Telegraph is reporting claims by Sunni insurgent groups that they are actively fighting Al Qaeda types in Iraq. Oliver Poole reports in Sunni insurgents 'have al-Zarqawi running for cover' 03/11/06:

Insurgent groups in one of Iraq's most violent provinces claim that they have purged the region of three quarters of al-Qa'eda's supporters after forming an alliance to force out the foreign fighters.

If true, it would mark a significant victory in the fight against Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the head of al-Qa'eda in Iraq, and could partly explain the considerable drop in suicide bombings in Iraq recently.

"We have killed a number of the Arabs, including Saudis, Egyptians, Syrians, Kuwaitis and Jordanians," said an insurgent representative in the western province of Anbar.

The claims were partly supported by the defence ministry, which said it had evidence that Zarqawi and his followers were fleeing Anbar to cities and mountains near the Iranian border.

It's hard to know what to make of this. The ability of Western reporters to verify a story like this from insurgent sources is generally very limited, to put it mildly. But, true or not, the fact that they are announcing this openly is probably an indication that they are trying to position themselves for some sort of negotiations with the Americans.

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