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200,000 Insurgents in Iraq
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| Renegade |
| quote: | THERE are more rebels and sympathisers in Iraq than US forces to fight them, Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's intelligence chief said yesterday.
It is the bleakest assessment to date of the armed revolt waged by some sections of the Sunni population.
"I think the resistance is bigger than the US military in Iraq. I think the resistance is more than 200,000 people," General Mohamed Abdullah Shahwani said.
There are 150,000 US troops in Iraq. More than 1300 have been killed.
Mr Shahwani said his estimate includes at least 40,000 hard-core fighters.
But the figure rises to more than 200,000 members when counting part-time fighters and volunteers who give rebels everything from intelligence and logistics to shelter.
The numbers far exceed any figure presented by the US military in Iraq.
Mr Shahwani pointed to a resurgent Baath Party as the key to the insurgency's might.
The Baath Party has split into three factions, with the deadliest being the branch still paying allegiance to Saddam Hussein, he said.
The core Baath fighting strength was more than 20,000, he said.
Operating out of Syria, Saddam's half-brother Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan and former aide Mohammed Yunis al-Ahmed are providing funding and tapping connections to old army divisions, particularly in Mosul, Samarra, Baquba, Kirkuk and Tikrit, he said.
Mr Shahwani said one of Saddam's henchman, Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri, still on the run in Iraq, was involved.
Islamist factions ranging from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al-Qaida affiliate, to Ansar al-Sunna and Ansar al-Islam complement the Baathists.
Past US military assessments of the insurgency's size have been revised upwards from 5000 to 20,000 full and part-time members.
Yesterday, a suicide truck bomb attack on an Iraqi security checkpoint near an entrance to the fortified Green Zone complex killed 10 people and wounded at least 56.
Witnesses said a fuel truck rammed into the checkpoint and exploded. The powerful explosion echoed across central Baghdad.
Yesterday's blast followed at least two suicide car bomb attacks in Baghdad on Monday.
Three Britons were also killed in an explosion in Baghdad on Monday. |
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/co...255E663,00.html
Funny, I was under the impression that "major combat operations" were over now and we were just cleaning up a few "freedom-hating" dissenters before the elections? Don't worry though - I'm sure that once we've irradicated this 8% of Iraq's population that doesn't want to play ball we'll be good to go for the elections right?
Oh, speaking of which:
| quote: | Recent hostilities appear to be making January 30 less likely for the vote to decide Iraq's future.
The Bush Administration has left the way open for a delay in the Iraqi elections, saying the decision was up to the the Iraqi Election Commission. |
http://www.theage.com.au/news/Iraq/...4832170820.html
Oh the joys of "freedom". $87 billion well spent in light of what's happened globally over the past couple of weeks, wouldn't you say? |
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| stren |
| quote: | Originally posted by Renegade
Funny, I was under the impression that "major combat operations" were over now |
Well there were no "major combat operations" in the first place, since they reqire at least 2 armies fighting. |
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| hardcore trancer |
Is Bush gonna come out again and say war is over with a big sign in the back?:rolleyes:
Looks like Americans have to stay for another decade there,but Iam sure it'll be all worth it.That 200'000 figure is proabably growing daily.
Good job Iraqi's keep fighting.:) |
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| Cal |
Wow so the Iraqis didn't want the americans to invade in the first place?
Damn, am I surprised!
:haha: |
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| wolverine16 |
| Oh, it gets better. Bush is planning to ask for ANOTHER $100 billion for Iraq, even though major combat operations are over and we've already spent more than $200 billion. But don't worry, it wont add to the deficit. He still is keeping his promise to cut the deficit in half, even though he never explained what cuts he was making. How? By adding the $100 billion as an emergency supplemental and not part of the regular budget! Brilliant math $400 billion + $100 billion = $400 billion deficit, because $100 just doesn't count even though we still owe it. |
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| NYGblue |
neo-conservatives are morons.. That is why they are no where to be seen in academia.
But any good neo-con will just say its because academia is to liberal. :rolleyes:
Its great that education is so valued in America these days. |
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| josh4 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Cal
Wow so the Iraqis didn't want the americans to invade in the first place?
Damn, am I surprised!
:haha: |
I'm not sure about that. They cheered when we invaded. They just weren't counting on us staying for so long. |
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| DrUg_Tit0 |
| quote: | Originally posted by wolverine16
Oh, it gets better. Bush is planning to ask for ANOTHER $100 billion for Iraq, even though major combat operations are over and we've already spent more than $200 billion. But don't worry, it wont add to the deficit. He still is keeping his promise to cut the deficit in half, even though he never explained what cuts he was making. How? By adding the $100 billion as an emergency supplemental and not part of the regular budget! Brilliant math $400 billion + $100 billion = $400 billion deficit, because $100 just doesn't count even though we still owe it. |
And people like smokeape bitch that 350 million tsunami victim aid is too much to give... |
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| NYGblue |
| quote: | Originally posted by josh4
I'm not sure about that. They cheered when we invaded. They just weren't counting on us staying for so long. |
SOME cheered... just because you saw a few images doesn't mean it represents the population on the whole. |
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| shaolin_Z |
| quote: | Originally posted by josh4
I'm not sure about that. They cheered when we invaded. They just weren't counting on us staying for so long. |
:haha: you actually believe mainstream corporate owned american media propoganda.
I actually know middle eastern ppl and ppl in contact with Iraqis. They are NOT happy about us being there. The only thing our presence there is doing ensuring more terrorist strikes on American soil by making new enemies. |
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| NYGblue |
| There are videos of French people cheering the NAZI's when they entered Paris... :rolleyes: |
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| shaolin_Z |
WARNING: pretty sick
http://www.antiwar.com/news/?articleid=2444
The american public has forgotton about this but they certainly havent. Keep in mind this is just one of the many kinds of abuses and war crimes our soldiers (no, not all our soldiers) are carrying out there that managed to make into western/american media. Ofcourse the resistance is going to grow. |
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