Sheik Ali Hatem Sleiman of the Al-Anbar Salvation Council: We Can Eradicate Al-Qaeda in Iraq within Two Months, but "Without Human Rights"

Following are excerpts from an interview with Sheik Ali Hatem Sleiman of the Al-Anbar Salvation Council in Iraq, which aired on Al-Arabiya TV on February 1, 2008.

Interviewer: When will Diyala and Baghdad become as safe as Al-Anbar?

Sheik Ali Hatem Sleiman: When we get wider authorities and a free hand to operate.

Interviewer: How long do you think this will take?

Sheik Ali Hatem Sleiman: Two months are all we need to eliminate [Al-Qaeda], Allah willing - but without "human rights." When Al-Qaeda kills twenty or thirty people, chops off their heads and throws them in the streets, nobody mentions human rights. When the Americans arrest an Al-Qaeda leader, they take him to Bucca Prison, where he is fed chicken and meat and given Pepsi to drink, and he is placed in an air-conditioned caravan. When we kill Al-Qaeda leaders or members, we are accused of breaking the law. What law are they talking about?!

Interviewer: So you don't want human rights laws...

Sheik Ali Hatem Sleiman: Let me tell you something, and I’m not afraid to say it. We are seekers of vengeance, not of college degrees. We will kill Al-Qaeda members wherever we find them, get it? We are not willing to jeopardize our plans for the sake of human rights. We didn’t enjoy even animal rights. Abroad, if a cat gets sick, they bring a plane to evacuate it, whereas here, hundreds of bodies are thrown in the streets every day, yet nobody mentions human rights. Brother, it is the beginning of the end [for Al-Qaeda], Allah willing. Al-Qaeda no longer plays any role in Iraq. 2008 will be the year we will put an end to Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and turn a new political and economic leaf.