Posted on 04/21/2005 3:48:48 PM PDT by F14 Pilot
“The sense is that many of the suicide bombers are in fact foreign jihadists, not Iraqis, for the most part,” the official said, speaking to reporters on background.
“The ones that we’ve gotten our hands on are certainly foreigners,” he pointed out.
Foreign insurgents operating in Iraq seem to be coming from about 25 countries, the official noted. The majority, he observed, are from Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iran.
However, U.S. military analysts in Iraq “don’t see that foreign fighters have become a significant force in the insurgency,” the official noted. Out of about 10,000 detainees now being held in Iraq, only “357, 358, something like that” are non-Iraqis.
The official also cited reports that say Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s anti-American militia, the so-called Mahdi Army, is undergoing “some regeneration.” However, the official added, Sadr’s Baghdad-based group, which had been blamed for several atrocities, had “lost a lot of public support” since the Jan. 30 Iraqi elections.
The official declined to comment on the idea of any possible amnesty program for former insurgents. “That will obviously be a government of Iraq decision,” the official said.
By Gerry J. Gilmore American Forces Press Service
How can they tell ? Do people from different countries leave different color stains ?
DNA?
I guess this is a good thread to report some shocking news. I was listening to NPR on the way home and there was a report by Phillip Reeves who is embedded with a unit in Mosul. The report was POSITIVE! He said things are getting better and that our guys are learning to handle the insurgents and are doing so.
Can you list (in ranking) all 25 countries?
Other Arab countries!
That is precisely what we found starting in August of 03 once we had pretty much rid Baghdad of former Fedayeen and Republican Guard. The overwhelming majority of insurgents we captured or killed were carrying Syrian (primarily), Iranian or Jordanian passports.
And every small-town cop will tell you that the crimes in town are being committed by teenagers from the next town over.
Their neighbour Iran just announce a new batch of HED's
Human Explosive Devices...
Are they selected by Islamic Congress Country Lottery?
Hadji-kazees.
I'm pretty sure none of the suicide bombers have been Americans because no parents are suing any explosives manufacturer! OTOH, 100% of all bulldozer suicides by Americans have resulted in law suits by parents.
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