Sources connected to the Shiite parties in power deny any relation with the so-called “Islamic Resistance in Iraq - Battalions of Abu Al-Fadhl Al-‘Abbas”, which recently carried out a series of attacks against the British and American forces in southern Iraq and western Baghdad. The Battalions of Abu Al-Fadhl Al-‘Abbas announced in a statement, which has been widely distributed in Shiite-populated areas in southern Iraq, particularly in Basra, that its fight is against the occupation forces and not against the Iraqi forces. These sources think this organization is a Shiite clandestine group close to the line of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr. According to these sources, the American and British Intelligence services in Iraq believe in fact that Sadrists are involved in this organization. Note in this context that the Battalions’ statement has been well received by ordinary Shiites, especially since it comes at a time when the American and British Intelligence services are widely rumoured to be involved in attacks against the Shiites in southern Iraq.
Iraq Information Report - September 21, 2005 - 6th Year, № 6/677