Al-Qaeda Fallujah Attack Shows Group Gaining Power
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The capture of the Iraqi city of Fallujah by al-Qaeda-linked militants over the weekend fulfilled a pledge by the group’s leader made six months ago. It’s also confirmed his strength.
We’re “here to stay,” Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, said in a June audio statement, vowing to erase the Western-imposed border with Syria, where guerrillas of his Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant are also fighting. He called on followers to “tear apart” the governments in both countries and their regional backers.