`Gurgling gasp' now a war cry: Iraq rebels gain force, expand power [View All]

[iconoclastic cat]

From the Chicago Trib:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0407190193jul19,1,4538048.story?coll=chi-news-hed

BAGHDAD -- A year ago, a U.S. colonel wrote off Iraq's insurgency as a last "gurgling gasp" from Saddam Hussein's murderous henchmen. Too old and round for the rigors of urban combat, the leaders of the former regime were turning with cash and rifles in hand to their sons and nephews, asking them to fight their fight.

Since then, the rebellion that imperils Iraq's rebirth has evolved into a cauldron of disparate tactics, ideologies and ambitions far more potent than the threat posed by last summer's ragtag recruits.

Jihadist outsiders have made Iraq an international stage for their holy war against the United States, relying on car bomb attacks that do not distinguish between soldier and civilian. Iraqis disenfranchised by Hussein's ouster ambush U.S. and Iraqi troops daily in the name of nationalism. Gunmen loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr have fought to give their young firebrand clout.

If there has been one constant in the 15-month insurgency, it has been the perception among Sunni Muslim insurgents that the U.S.-led coalition conspicuously pushed Sunnis aside as they forged the post-Hussein landscape. Today, analysts say the Sunnis are fueling most of the insurgency both in terms of manpower and financing, and their leaders make clear that they are unlikely to accept offers of amnesty.
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