Associated Press. Iraqi extremists try to harness opposition rage

Iraqi insurgents are trying to capitalize on the rage of anti-government protesters and the instability caused by rising civil unrest, complicating the government's efforts to stamp out a resurgent al-Qaida and other insurgent groups.

Organizers of the protests attracting minority Iraqi Sunnis insist they have no links to terrorist groups. Yet Iraqi and U.S. officials have expressed concern that violent extremists could benefit from the demonstrators' feelings of alienation and hostility toward the Shiite-led Iraqi government.

An embassy official said the U.S. had expressed concern that the protesters' so far peaceful expression of their concerns must not be usurped by extremists trying to provoke violence. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

Protest organizers and the politicians who support them are eager to distance themselves from extremist rhetoric.

Sunni lawmaker Ahmed al-Alawani recently urged Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to meet demonstrators' demands so al-Qaida and other extremists could not exploit their frustration.

That was a sentiment echoed by protest organizer and spokesman Saeed Humaim in Ramadi, the Anbar provincial capital that has been the focus of daily sit-ins and frequent mass rallies. He said protesters have no intention to take up arms, but will defend themselves if attacked by government security forces.

Still, many Iraqi Sunnis have little doubt that the protests strengthen militant groups.

The Iraqi officials insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss security operations with the media.

The local wing of al-Qaida, known as the Islamic State of Iraq, generally does not operate beyond Iraq's borders. But al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri last year urged Iraqi insurgents to support the Sunni-based uprising in neighboring Syria against President Bashar Assad, whose Alawite sect is a branch of Shiite Islam.

The highest ranking member of Saddam's regime still at large, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, has separately lent his support to the demonstrators. Al-Douri, who is suspected of having ties to the Naqshabandi Army, is thought to have played a key role in financing Sunni insurgents seeking to undermine Iraq's post-Saddam government.