The 'Myth' of Iraq's foreign fighters

Report by US think tank says only '4 to 10' percent of insurgents are foreigners.

The US and Iraqi governments have vastly overstated the number of foreign fighters in Iraq, and most of them don't come from Saudi Arabia, according to a [u)New Report from CSIS, from the Washington-based Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS). According to a piece in The Guardian, this means the US and Iraq "feed the myth" that foreign fighters are the backbone of the insurgency. While the foreign fighters may stoke the incurgency flames, they only comprise only about 4 to 10 percent of the estimated 30,000 insurgents.

The CSIS study also disputes media reports that Saudis comprise the largest group of foreign fighters. CSIS says "Algerians are the largest group (20 percent), followed by Syrians (18 percent), Yemenis (17 percent), Sudanese (15 percent), Egyptians (13 percent), Saudis (12 percent) and those from other states (5 percent)." CSIS gathered the information for its study from intelligence services in the Gulf region.

The CSIS report says: "The vast majority of Saudi militants who have entered Iraq were NOT terrorist sympathisers before the war; and were radicalized almost exclusively by the coalition invasion."

The Associated Press reports that CSIS believes most of the insurgents are not "Saddam Hussein loyalists" but members of Sunni Arab Iraqi tribes.

The Los Angeles Times reports that a greater concern is that 'skills' foreign fighters are learning in Iraq are being exported to their home countries. This is a particular concern for Europe.

Meanwhile, The Boston Globe reports that President Bush, in a speech Thursday that was "clearly designed to dampen the potential impact of the antiwar rally" this weekend in Washington, said his top military commanders in Iraq have told him that they are making progress against the insurgents and "in establishing a politically viable state."

ABC News Prince Saud al-Faisal said the US ignored warnings the Saudi government gave it about occupying Iraq. Prince al-Faisal also said he fears US policies in Iraq will lead to the country breaking up into Kurdish, Sunni and Shiite parts.

Finally, The Guardian reports that "ambitions for Iraq are being drastically scaled down in private" by British and US officials. The main goal has now become avoiding the image of failure.

Source:
The Christian Science Monitor

Very Interesting Article(s) - this time from alot of different sources, but they all reporting one same thing: that Iraq situation is Deteriorating, that the majority of Insurgency in Iraq is NOT Foreign, but only maximum 10% of Foreign Fighters. And even these are from all sides, from many Muslim Countrie, and Iran was not mentioned among them. But most importantly, that the US and the GB are trying very hard to make Iraq "Look like Democracy is Working" and are Feeding the Myth about Foreign Fighters; but on the REAL Side it is looking like an imminent Civil War and the final break-up of Iraq into 3 Independant States. Divide and Conquer. Even the most Valuable Ally - the Prince Saud al-Faisal - said that they warned the US about Iraq and that they the current US policies will most probably lead into a Civil War.

Either way it is kinda hard to help someone who does not care about themselves or others. Wether they are foreign or domestic "insurgents" they care not about life. The situation is deteriorating for the innocent people and that is fact.

Originally posted by I See You
Either way it is kinda hard to help someone who does not care about themselves or others. Wether they are foreign or domestic "insurgents" they care not about life. The situation is deteriorating for the innocent people and that is fact.

I don't understand your comment well.

What do you mean by "they don't carea about life"?

And US Army does? How? By not counting all the Dead Civilans.

The US Foreign Politics did not Help to decrease the World Wide Terrorism - but have Increased that danger.

Do you think Bush Cares?



Please.

You make the US Army out to be one entity. It is not. It is formed of thousands of individuals and they are not all bred killers with no emotion or feelings. As for Bush, I don't believe he gives a damn but thats not me nor the rest of the US army.

Granted we have taken many lives in this war. FACT.
The insurgency has taken many lives also but continue to kill their own people everyday and do not care about the lives of those they kill to make statements. Why use car bombs to kill civilians everyday?

Originally posted by I See You
You make the US Army out to be one entity. It is not. It is formed of thousands of individuals and they are not all bred killers with no emotion or feelings. As for Bush, I don't believe he gives a damn but thats not me nor the rest of the US army.

Yea I am sure it's a very Mixed Conglomerate, but Generals are Generals and Soldiers are Soldiers and they all HAVE TO Follow Orders - so what does that help if Everybody is under the Supreme Command of a Son of a Bush?

Granted we have taken many lives in this war. FACT.
The insurgency has taken many lives also but continue to kill their own people everyday and do not care about the lives of those they kill to make statements. Why use car bombs to kill civilians everyday?

Why use Smart boms to kill Civilians?

Why use Guided Cruise Missiles to kill Civilans?

Why use Carpet Bombing to kill Civilians?

Why use "Shock and Awe" Tactics to kill Civilians?

I wonder how many Civilians US Army killed in Past 50 years (if you wanna know click the link "Centur Of War" in my signature below) - how many Civilans have the Iraq Insurgents killed?

Geee.

I wonder.



[edit on 24/9/05 by Souljah]

Iraq situation is what it is right now because the Involvement of the US in their affairs.

its worst countries in the world committing more heinous crimes to their people that Saddam did to his people and we are not invading them.

Look at Africa.

What made Iraq so special, it was not for the people and it was not to bring democracy it was private interest what made this president get into that country and created just a mess plus his personal agenda of being a "War president"

Trying to put one of their tribes in power over the others ones is not going to work, the Iraqi people care about the tribes they belong too.

If you are a Shiite you care less of the Sunnies, if you are a Kurd you care less what the Shiites and Sunnis does.

The fantasy and lie of "foreign fighters" is a fallacy and well fed lie, the people that US troops are fighting are Iraqi tribesmen that are against each others and the occupation.

As long as is Iraqis willing to fight each others for control our soldiers are going to be victims everyday in the unleashed rage that the US government has released in that nation.

Is not democracy in Iraq is not control and is not respect for the people.

They careless of the US and our troops, that is their land and we are the invaders.

Why use Smart boms to kill Civilans?

Why use Guided Cruise Missiles to kill Civilans?

Why use Carpet Bombing to kill Civilans?

Why use "Shock and Awe" Tactics to kill Civilans?

I wonder how many Civilans US Army killed in Past 50 years (if you wanna know click the link "Centur Of War" in my signature below) - how many Civilans have the Iraq Insurgents killed?

I understand and know all this already but you didn't answer my question. Why do the insurgents continue to use car bombs daily to kill their own innocent civilians? What is their point? Do we Americans use car bombs daily to kill eachother for the hell of it. If we were invaded we still wouldn't do such things. Why do it when they aren't killing us but just themselves?

Marge,

I understand like I told souljah. That is my point. They will continue to use car bombs and other means of death even if we aren't there. They do it daily and kill themselves. Because they belong to different groups they will continue to kill eachother. So should we just say so what? Go ahead and have a civil war until not enough members of each group are alive so they can be ethnically cleansed?

If the Christian Science Monitor is correct here, then the "fight the terrorists there so we don't have to fight them here" logic is fatally flawed. We aren't drawing terrorists to us from other places, we're making them out of Iraqis. Wow, this war is a bad idea.

Originally posted by RANT
If the Christian Science Monitor is correct here, then the "fight the terrorists there so we don't have to fight them here" logic is fatally flawed. We aren't drawing terrorists to us from other places, we're making them out of Iraqis. Wow, this war is a bad idea.

Yep.

And their First Stop will be in Europe.

This is what really caught my eye from NewsDay- and it's true:

"It's a huge concern," said a U.S. counter-terrorism official who had been in contact with European counterparts. Like others interviewed, the official asked not to be named for security reasons. "It's at the top of the agenda. Everyone's working on the returnees. What are they doing? Who are they?"

Thanks Mister Bush for Creating Europe so Safe and Secure!

:applause:

[edit on 24/9/05 by Souljah]

This is what really caught my eye from Associated Press- and it's true:

You may want to edit your post there souljah...its NEWSDAY and not the AP. I work for the AP and we do not pay the writer of this story. He is actually a TIMES reporter.

Thanks

Now I know this actually has nothing to do with the thread, I was simply suggesting the edit for credibility reasons. If you mis-quote someone or mis-type something, eventually people won't listen or read your posts/print even when you do have it all correct.

Originally posted by I See You
Marge,

I So should we just say so what? Go ahead and have a civil war until not enough members of each group are alive so they can be ethnically cleansed?

Is inevitable, is going to happen and the sacrificial lambs are going to be our troops.

Saddam knew his people very well and he knew the struggles in that country between the different tribes.

He kept them under foot, and under a totalitarian government he controlled them.

They are on the lose thanks to the "liberation" it seems that our politicians do not understand history or education in the US is so limited they either got bored at it or sleep throughout it.

You can not control what you never had control over to beginning with.

US do not control the will of the people in Iraq and it never will not matter how many governments it pushes in the country and how many "constitutions" are written.

Iraqi people will settler their mess own their own, and as long US is meddling with the affairs of a nation that goes to the beginning of time our troops are just the sacrificial lambs.

US own civil war is testament of the will of the people.



[edit on 24-9-2005 by marg6043]

Originally posted by 12 12 2012

This is what really caught my eye from Associated Press- and it's true:

You may want to edit your post there souljah...its NEWSDAY and not the AP. I work for the AP and we do not pay the writer of this story. He is actually a TIMES reporter.

Thanks

I am sorry - my Mistake.

I had so many open links that I confuzed them.

I will Correct my Error:

The Original was actually from Los Angeles Times.

Thanks!

Originally posted by I See You
Why do the insurgents continue to use car bombs daily to kill their own innocent civilians? What is their point? Do we Americans use car bombs daily to kill eachother for the hell of it. If we were invaded we still wouldn't do such things. Why do it when they aren't killing us but just themselves?

The car bombs are targeted primarily at coalition forces, Iraqi soldiers and Iraqi policemen and recruits. Read through the past bombing incidents, they almost always mention police stations or recruiting centers.

You say you wouldn't kill fellow Americans if you were invaded but what if those Americans started fighting on the side of the invading country and arresting fellow Americans who resist the occupation like the Iraqi soldiers and police men are doing to their fellow Iraqis?
Would you kill them then?

Originally posted by AceOfBase
The car bombs are targeted primarily at coalition forces, Iraqi soldiers and Iraqi policemen and recruits. Read through the past bombing incidents, they almost always mention police stations or recruiting centers.

You say you wouldn't kill fellow Americans if you were invaded but what if those Americans started fighting on the side of the invading country and arresting fellow Americans who resist the occupation like the Iraqi soldiers and police men are doing to their fellow Iraqis?
Would you kill them then?

Thank You for taking your Time and Explaining that - when the Question was Aimed at me in the First Place.