Fedayeen Saddam 'essentially terrorists'

The Washington Times ^ | March 26, 2003 | Bill Gertz

[fivecatsandadog]

Up to 30,000 members of Iraq's black-hooded Fedayeen Saddam militia are using terrorist tactics to fight coalition forces in southern Iraq, are threatening the local population, and, intelligence reports indicate, plan to don U.S. military uniforms.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said yesterday that the Fedayeen Saddam, meaning "those ready to sacrifice themselves for Saddam," were dispatched to southern Iraq and are using guerrilla tactics such as fake surrenders to fight U.S. and British troops in the cities of Basra, Nasiriyah and Umm Qasr.

"We have intelligence information saying that the Fedayeen Saddam people — I'm not going to call them troops, because they're traveling in civilian clothes and they're essentially terrorists — have been moving south into some areas, including Basra, and that they are in some cases pretending to surrender and then shooting people," Mr. Rumsfeld said.

Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said some of the Fedayeen have taken over tanks of Iraqi troops that surrendered. Mr. Rumsfeld told reporters at the Pentagon that the Fedayeen are not a serious threat to the U.S.-led military campaign.

"What they do represent is a terrorist-type threat," he said, noting that the fighters are expected to continue battling advancing coalition forces until Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is overthrown.

"I suspect that some of these deadenders will be down there shooting people and doing that type of thing," he said. "That's basically what's going on." The fighters have been filmed in civilian clothes waving automatic rifles, and field reporters in Basra said the Fedayeen are killing civilians and plan to blame it on allied forces.

Saddam's supporters also were seeking to intimidate an uprising by the city's populace, predominantly Shi'ite Muslims, by deploying tanks in civilian areas and driving close to crowds roaming the streets.

[fivecatsandadog]

It's going to get really ugly. Prayers to our troops.

[Zon]

If the Iraq regime doesn't support terrorism what is threatening to put live citizens into a plastic shredder and following through with that those threats called?

That's a start; fill in the blank:

If the Iraq regime doesn't support terrorism what _______

[TADSLOS]

GITMO isn't big enough for this crowd. The only solution is to shoot 'em in the face anytime we get the chance.