The Counterterrorism Blog: First Signs of Daylight in Battle with Zarqawi in Iraq

A break between mainstream Sunni Iraqis and fringe Salafist extremists

International terrorism consultant Evan Kohlman has highlighted the split between mainstream Sunni's in Iraq and the Salafist extremists, symbolized by correspondence this past week between the Sunni Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS) and al Qaeda in Iraq. Kohlman references the response of AMS to Zarqawi's declaration of war on the Shi'ite, in which they strongly condemn his actions, and two replies from al Qaeda that display disappointment in the AMS and proclaim Zarqawi was misquoted.