Al-Qaeda and other militant groups in Iraq have branded elections there as ungodly and vowed to turn the country into an Islamic state, according to an Internet statement released today.
The statement was posted on an Islamist website often used by militants and signed by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al-Qaeda and four other groups - including the Army of the Victorious Sect and the Brigades of Islamic Jihad.
"This so-called political process - and those who take part in these apostate elections - is forbidden by God's laws and goes against our Muslim constitution, the Koran," the groups said in the statement.
"What is going on in Iraq these days is a crusader conspiracy and this political process is nothing but a devilish project aimed against the mujahideen . . . we declare that we will carry on our jihad in the name of God until an Islamic state ruled by the Koran is established."
Iraqis will vote on Thursday for their first full parliament since the fall of Saddam Hussein's government. Violence has marred the run-up to the polls, however, with a spate of suicide bombings and abductions of at least eight foreigners in recent weeks.
Iraqi officials have said al-Qaeda was a major worry for security forces, who are also preparing for an increase in violence in the weeks after the election.
After January's vote for an interim government, there was a dramatic surge in attacks - many claimed by al-Qaeda.
