Iraq's most-wanted militant, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has been disowned by members of his family in Jordan who have pledged to "sever links with him until doomsday" and proclaimed their loyalty to Jordan's king, Abdullah II.
The statement, which also removed "protection" from Zarqawi, came amid further protests in Jordan at the suicide bombings at three hotels on Nov. 9 in Amman, the capital, that killed 59 people, including revelers at a wedding party.
Zarqawi's organization al-Qaeda in Iraq claimed responsibility for the blasts and subsequently threatened to kill the king.
But on Sunday, 57 members of his al-Khalayleh clan, including his brother and first cousin, took half-page advertisements in Jordan's leading newspapers to revile the militant leader.
"We denounce in the clearest terms all the terrorist actions claimed by the so-called Ahmed Fadheel Nazzal al-Khalayleh, who calls himself Abu Musab al-Zarqawi," wrote the family members who proclaimed "homage" to the Hashemite throne and "to our precious Jordan."
"We announce, and all the people are our witnesses, that we -- the sons of the al-Khalayleh tribe -- are innocent of him and all that emanates from him, whether action, assertion or decision," they said.
The statement effectively declared open season on Zarqawi, saying that anyone who carried out acts of terrorism in the kingdom would not be protected.
"A Jordanian doesn't stab himself with his own spear," the family wrote."We sever links with him until doomsday."
It is thought some family members may now seek to kill him.
The Khalayleh clan is part of the large Bani Hassan tribe, one of the area's most important Bedouin groups. Many of Zarqawi's relatives have senior positions in the Jordanian army and government and are known for their loyalty to the Hashemite throne. On Friday, Khalayleh clan members demonstrated against Zarqawi, who took his name from the town of Zarqa, 25km northeast of Amman. In Amman an estimated 100,000 people took to the streets to protest.
Zarqawi and his group have claimed responsibility for several attacks in Jordan. Last year authorities foiled a plot said to have been masterminded by Zarqawi to cause a chemical explosion that could have killed thousands.
The US has offered a US$25 million reward for information leading to Zarqawi's capture, but neither it nor the Iraqi authorities appear to know how to stop al-Qaeda's killing spree. The violence, which claimed another 125 lives over the weekend, has raised fears of a civil war between Iraq's Shia and Sunni Arabs.
Yesterday Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani, signalled a willingness to talk to insurgents or their representatives.
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