Det svarte flagget til Abu Musab al-Zarqawis gruppe vaier over byen Qaim i det vestlige Irak, på grensen til Syria. -Velkommen til det islamske kongedømmet Qaim, står det ved innfarten til byen.

Slik kongedømmet praktiseres, er det neppe noen god reklame. Men frykt er også et nyttig våpen.

Zarqawi’s fighters were killing officials and civilians seen as government-allied or anti-Islamic, witnesses, residents and others said. On Sunday, the bullet-riddled body of a woman lay in a street of Qaim. A sign left on her corpse declared, “A prostitute who was punished.”

Zarqawi’s fighters had shot to death nine men in public executions in the city center since the weekend, accusing the men of being spies and collaborators for U.S. forces, said Sheikh Nawaf Mahallawi, a leader of a Sunni Arab tribe, the Albu Mahal, that had battled the foreign fighters.

Dozens of families were fleeing Qaim daily, Mahallawi said.

Det virker ikke spesielt oppmuntrende at den amerikanske hæren ikke kan svare på hvem som kontrollerer Qaim.

Armed insurgent fighters loyal to the Jordanian-born Zarqawi openly traveled Qaim’s streets. The fighters included both Iraqis and foreigners, including Afghans The foreign-led fighters hung rooftops with Zarqawi’s al-Qaeda banner of black backgrounds with a yellow sun.

Shops selling CDs, a movie theater and a women’s beauty parlor were newly burned, apparently targeted by Zarqawi’s group under its strict interpretation of Islamic law.

Residents said Zarqawi’s fighters were killing most government workers, but had spared doctors and teachers.

For jihadistene er det en psykologisk seier å kunne vifte med flagg og henrette hvem de vil. Men selv om det skremmer, er det neppe en taktikk som er egnet til å vinne tilhengere blant vanlige folk.

De vil selvfølgelig bli jaget ut, men får gjerne tips om når offensiven kommer, og kan smelte bort, og komme tilbake.