Posted on 09/29/2005 5:51:48 PM PDT by strategofr
The Saddam era Iraqi Intelligence Service (IIS) is still in business. In Arabic, the IIS was called the Jihaz al-Mukhabarat al-Amma, and was more commonly known as the Mukhabarat (Arab for “Intelligence.”) Combining the work of the American CIA, FBI and Secret Service, the IIS had a core strength of 5,000 highly trained, quite skilled, and very loyal (to Saddam) members.
But the IIS controlled other intelligence and paramilitary personnel that totaled over 100,000 people. Few of these people were rounded up after Saddam’s government fell in April, 2003. They are still out there. Most of them anyway. Thusands have been arrested for involvement in anti-government activities, and hundreds have been killed while carrying out terrorist or intelligence operations. The IIS are almost entirely Sunni Arabs, and they are the core of the violence and terrorism the Iraqi government has had to deal with for the last 18 months.
The IIS, a CIA report recently revealed, had several departments that specialized in developing weapons and tactics for the kind of war Saddam loyalists are fighting now. There was even one department that did nothing but develop road side bombs. These devices, which are assembled from various types of explosives (including artillery shells), and fitted into a large number of disguises (concrete blocks, trucks tires, piles of rubbish), were not a sudden inspiration, after Saddam’s defeat, of hostile Iraqis, but the deliberate invention of the IIS.
It was discovered, shortly after Saddam was run out of office in early 2003, that the IIS had some kind of plan to keep on fighting. American intelligence personnel (military and CIA), slowly put together the details of the IIS plan. It wasn’t just about designs for road side bombs, but also all manner of tactics and techniques on how to keep the fighting going.
When Saddam was in power, the IIS also was in charge of smuggling goods into Iraq (past the UN embargo), and maintaining agents in neighboring countries to watch over these activities. That is why the flow of people, money and weapons from Syria appeared so quickly after Saddam’s was thrown out of power. The system was already in place. The Sunni Arabs don’t just believe that they can use terror and violence to regain power in Iraq, they carefully planned how to do it while they were still in charge.
Strategy Page post from Mike From Brielle
RE:Saddam's Spies Survive 1/28/2005 4:49:15 PM As in the 1982 bombing of the Marine Barracks in Beruit where you had Syrian Bathist agents controling a dupe Jihadist into performing a Suicide Bombing. (see note below) I believe that a former Iraqi Bathist Mukhaburat agents are running the rat line of misguided Muslem Fundamentalist as cannon fouder for thier plans to re-establish dominion over the general Iraqi populace. This can clearly be seen in some of Zarquawi's statements vis-e-vie democracy (who is clearly being run by Bathists / Mukabhurat agents). Many Arab governments have used Muslem Fundamentalists as a ready made goon squad (with plausible deniability) at one time or another either to intimidate or eliminate for either foriegn or domestic foes of whatever regime felt threatened.
Just befor the 1991 Gulf War Sadam in pre-war meeting with American Ambasador to Iraq April Gilespie, he told her words to the effect that "Do not try to threaten or use preasure against us because by God although we can not reach your country certain Arabs can". This is probably not the exact quote due to my faulty memory but I believe this quote originated from the IRAQI transcripts of the conversation. This goes to point out that the IRAQI's (SADAM)did not want us to mistake thier (his) intent.
Why was the Mukhaburat headquarters not secured after we had taken Baghdad ? If thats not a Dog that didn't bark I don't know what is. Not only would there been all sorts of information on hand about local informers, party members, safe houses, but also what the Mukhaburat knew about the whole Middle east! How was that not a priority target?
Note: In a laundry truck - I believe the driver was the regular driver of the truck - the fact that we were getting our laundry done was over the objections of our CO but he had been directed to do so by higher authority - in any case he saved many lives by moving as many Marines as possible back onto the Ships before the attack.
It is true that this article is one year old. However, I still believe this network is a factor.
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