Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri was Saddam's number two, Revolution Command Council vice-chairman in the former Iraqi regime, and is now the funder of Sunni insurgents in Iraq. On 13 July 2014 an audio recording emerged that was purportedly from tal-Douri, calling on Iraqis to join efforts to "liberate" the country and praised the offensive by Sunni militants. The voice recording released on a website loyal to Saddam's ousted Baath Party was said to have been made by Ezzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the most senior member of his entourage still at large following Saddam's 2003 overthrow by a U.S.-led invasion force.
Although elderly and reported to have been in poor health, Douri is believed to lead the Baathist militant group the Naqshbandi Army, one of several groups which supported the al-Qiada offshoot the Islamic State. "Join the ranks of the rebels who liberated half the country," said the voice on the recording, which resembled previous tapes released in Douri's name. "The liberation of Baghdad is around the corner. Everyone should contribute, to the extent of his ability, to complete the liberation of the beloved country, because there is no honour or dignity without its liberation."
The Naqshbandi, issued a statement on 20 July 2014 that was important for what it didn't say. It didn't name or pledge allegiance to ISIL, and instead focused on a list of ideals the group stood for: it condemned attacks on religious minorities, and set itself up as a national resistance movement. Imran Khan is reported on 01 October 2014 that "Statements from other Sunni groups followed. ISIL were never referred to by name and many began to wonder about the exact nature of the relationship between ISIL and the Sunni rebels. Then the statements semingly stopped appearing. The last one seems to have been issued on August 24. Through information gathered from contacts with Sunni rebels and ISIL, it appears that a deal was struck in September aimed at reconciliation. In Anbar, Salaheddin and Diyala provinces the main rebel groups - the Naqshbandi, the Mujahedeen army, the Rashedoun army , Ansar al-Islam and Ansar al-Sunnah - have pledged allegiance to ISIL and are being supplied with weaponry, equipment and money by ISIL."
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/al-douri.htm
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