Abu Suleiman has been identified as a minister in the Al Qaida-aligned
Islamic State of Iraq. During the April operation, the commander of Islamic
State of Iraq, Abu Omar Al Baghdadi, was also killed, Middle East Newsline reported.
In the statement, Abu Suleiman, not believed to be his real name,
asserted that AQI has launched a new offensive against the Iraqi government.
He said the latest attacks have been targeting Iraqi police and military
checkpoints as well as Shi'ite communities.
"How can the men of the state close their eyes while they see [Shi'ites]
transgressing against the people of Islam, men and women, in the prisons of
the apostates in Baghdad, Mosul, and Diyala?" Abu Suleiman asked. "The
matter has become unbearable; patience has run out."
In the past, AQI was regarded as separate from the Islamic State of
Iraq. It was not known whether the groups had merged in what would enable
Abu Suleiman to command both Islamic insurgency units.
In May, AQI attacks have intensified in the wake of the assassination of Al
Masri and Al Baghdadi. On May 11, more than 120 people were killed in what
appeared to be a coordinated series of bombings and shooting throughout
Iraq.
"What is happening to you nowadays is just a drizzle," Abu Suleiman
said.