This doesn't have to be all bad, as long as we're prepared to deal with them -- it's somewhat convenient that they will come to us. But the supply of fanatics may be large. So, now is the time to deal with the organizers decisively. Hunt 'em down, kill 'em, take their money and weapons stashes. This insurgency was long-planned and is of a piece with the hidden WMD. Saddam and his cadres think they can win over the long-term through attrition and politics -- we have to teach them otherwise.
United States military commanders say foreign fighters are being actively recruited by loyalists to Saddam Hussein to join the resistance against American forces in Iraq, posing a new challenge to efforts to stabilize the country. Military officials say that American troops in Iraq have had to contend with Syrians, Saudis, Yemenis, Algerians, Lebanese and even Chechens.Posted by Alan at June 21, 2003 02:03 PMMany of these fighters took up arms against the United States during the American thrust to Baghdad. But a significant number remain, and a new effort is under way to lure more to Iraq to join the fight against the Americans, officials say. "You have got Baath Party and regime loyalists west and northeast of the city who are calling buddies in foreign countries and getting fighters to come across the border," Maj. Gen. William Webster, deputy commander of the allied land command, said in an interview. "They are also rounding up those who are already here and issuing them weapons."
New evidence about the role of foreign fighters, including passports and other documents, was gathered after the American air and ground attack last week on a militant camp at Rawa, about 150 miles northwest of Baghdad. According to American military commanders, two wounded foreigners were also captured — a Saudi and a Syrian. American officials said the two captives had told them that they were offered money to come to Iraq and kill American soldiers.
What is significant now, American military officials say, is that foreign fighters continue to play an active role in Iraq and continue to be recruited for pay or to join in a new struggle against the Americans. This indicates a considerable degree of organization behind the resistance against the American presence, though officials say it does not appear to be under the central control of a single leader or group.
It also points to an emerging threat to American forces. Militants who want to strike against American targets no longer need to travel to Persian Gulf states. They can accomplish that in Iraq, where there are 145,000 American troops and a growing core of civilian administrators and experts.
The American military has been been trying to track the fighters and has been attacking them when they find them. The goal is to demonstrate that the fighters have no hope of evicting American forces from Iraq and to prevent Iraq from becoming a magnet for Islamic militants. The goal of the foreign fighters, for their part, seems to be to raise the American casualty toll and to create pressure on the Americans to withdraw.