Web shows Iraqis joining forces with al-Qaida

A Web video posted late Thursday showed Iraqi insurgents conducting a traditional ritual to join forces with tribal chiefs under an umbrella group that includes al-Qaida. The two-minute video shows six men wearing long white robes and headdresses, sitting in a circle on the floor. They reach out and dip their hands into a bowl of liquid simultaneously. The footage was stamped with the emblem of the Mujahedeen Shura Council, an umbrella organization of insurgent groups that include al-Qaida in Iraq. All the figures in the video have their faces concealed, and they do not identify themselves or their factions.