Few Foreigners Among Insurgents (5% in Fallujah)

[Barrett808]

Few Foreigners Among Insurgents
Judging from fighters captured in Fallouja, all but about 5% are Iraqi, U.S. officials say.

By John Hendren
Times Staff Writer
Posted November 16 2004

CAMP FALLOUJA, Iraq — The battle for the city of Fallouja is giving U.S. military commanders some insight into this country's insurgency, painting a portrait of a home-grown uprising dominated by Iraqis, not foreign fighters.

Of the more than 1,000 men between the ages of 15 and 55 who were captured in intense fighting in the center of the insurgency over the last week, just 15 are confirmed foreign fighters, Gen. George W. Casey, the top U.S. ground commander in Iraq, said Monday.

There was evidence that an organized force of foreign fighters was present. One dead guerrilla bore Syrian identification. A number of insurgents believed to be foreigners wore similar black "uniforms," each with black flak vests, webbed gear and weapons superior to those of their Iraqi allies.

But despite an intense focus on the network of Jordanian-born militant Abu Musab Zarqawi by U.S. and Iraqi officials, who have insisted that most Iraqis support the country's interim government, American commanders said their best estimates of the proportion of foreigners among their enemies is about 5%.

The overwhelming majority of insurgents, several senior commanders said, are drawn from the tens of thousands of former government employees whose sympathies lie with the toppled regime of Saddam Hussein, unemployed "criminals" who find work laying roadside bombs for about $500 each and Iraqi religious extremists.

(more)

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/la-fg-fighters16nov16,0,19927.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

[pnutchuck]

1. it's Fallujah, not Fallouja...

[maddezmom]

2. you say patata, I say potato

actually, I believe it's spelled either way. Just do a few searches on both. :)

[Barrett808]

3. There's also Falloojeh and Falluja n/t

[maddezmom]

4. yes, it depends on the writers origins

kinda like OBL and UBL

[Bridget Burke]

7. Transliteration systems vary.

It's an Arabic word.

[paper chase guy]

5. kind of weird writing there

How does 5% in all of iraq follow from 15 out of more than 1000 (1.5%) in Falluja?

[Nordic]

6. yet another Bushco lie revealed

and will the media care?

No of course not.

That whole "better to fight them there than fight them here" is, GOSH WHAT A SURPRISE -- total bullshit.

[The_Casual_Observer]

8. They have all kinds of weird little Iraqi officials and spokesmen

making pronouncements and claims about the status of things in Iraq. So far they are highly suspect and bogus looking/sounding. It is all very reminiscent of the Ky's and Tu's of the Vietnam days.

[DuaneBidoux]

9. Translation: This is a Civil War, and We Have Taken Sides

[BUSHOUT]

10. This is huge. Are they talking about it on network news? n/t

[BUSHOUT]

11. It's gone now. This story is being killed. Jesus H Krist.

It's no longer showing up at the sun-sentinel, and it's noplace else but the LA times. It's dying a quick death.
Why? It's a pivotal piece of information....
Maybe the commander has retracted his statements? Threatened other news sources if they run with it?

[maddezmom]

13. this link still works for me

Few Foreigners Among Insurgents


Judging from fighters captured in Fallouja, all but about 5% are Iraqi, U.S. officials say.

By John Hendren
Times Staff Writer
Posted November 16 2004

CAMP FALLOUJA, Iraq — The battle for the city of Fallouja is giving U.S. military commanders some insight into this country's insurgency, painting a portrait of a home-grown uprising dominated by Iraqis, not foreign fighters.

Of the more than 1,000 men between the ages of 15 and 55 who were captured in intense fighting in the center of the insurgency over the last week, just 15 are confirmed foreign fighters, Gen. George W. Casey, the top U.S. ground commander in Iraq, said Monday.


There was evidence that an organized force of foreign fighters was resent. One dead guerrilla bore Syrian identification. A number of insurgents believed to be foreigners wore similar black "uniforms," each with black flak vests, webbed gear and weapons superior to those of their Iraqi allies.

But despite an intense focus on the network of Jordanian-born militant Abu Musab Zarqawi by U.S. and Iraqi officials, who have insisted that most Iraqis support the country's interim government, American commanders said their best estimates of the proportion of foreigners among their enemies is about 5%.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/la-fg-fighters16nov16,0,19927.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

[BUSHOUT]

15. thanks! n/t

[mulethree]

12. Wonder how many are Iraqi ex-exiles ? n/t

[VegasWolf]

14. This is bullshit. It has to be at least 50% forigners with all those

occupation troops there!!! Most of them have this
badge that say US something or other.