Iraqi opposition Michael Jansen in Amman assesses the main opposition factions in Iraq
Among seven major Iraqi opposition groups, the oldest is the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP), established by Mustapha Barzani in 1946 with the aim of creating an independent Kurdish state.
Based in the US-protected Kurdish "safe haven" in the north, the movement is led by the founder's son, Massoud Barzani, whose stated goal is autonomy within a federal Iraq.
The second group to emerge was the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), headed by Jalal Talabani, which broke away from the KDP in 1975. Mr Talabani also wants self-rule within a unified Iraq.
Both Kurdish factions are backed by the US, which brokered a ceasefire between them and persuaded them to work together rather than fight.
The third opposition group is the Iraqi National Accord (INA), set up in 1990 by Iraqi army officers and former Baath Party officials living in exile who opposed the invasion of Kuwait. The INA receives support from Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The INA's chief, Ayad Alawi, has good relations with Syria.
The Iraqi National Congress (INC) was founded by Ahmad Chalabi in 1991/92 with the intention of creating an umbrella group under which the fractious opposition factions could come together. Instead, the London-based INC became a vehicle for Mr Chalabi, who cultivated US backing and has received generous funding from the CIA.
The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), a Shia group, also emerged in 1992 under the guidance of Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim, son of the spiritual head of Iraq's Shia community between 1955 and 1970. SCIRI is supported by Iran, where Ayatollah Hakim is based, and it has a militia said to be 40,000-strong, trained by the Iranians.
The Movement for Constitutional Democracy was established by Ali bin al-Hussein, a member of the Hashemite dynasty which once ruled Iraq and still reigns in Jordan. He proposes that Iraq become a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of democracy.
The most recent grouping, Independent Iraqis for Democracy, was established recently by Adnan Pachachi (80), a former Iraqi ambassador to the UN and former foreign minister who left Iraq in 1968. Mr Pachachi, who lives in the United Arab Emirates, is seen by liberal pluralist Iraqis as the most likely candidate to lead an interim administration because he is both credible and is not associated with any of the powers seeking to control Iraq.