US Struggles to Determine Who Is the Enemy in Iraq

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&e=11&u=/nm/20031114/ts_nm/iraq_usa_enemy_dc_1

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon is struggling to figure out who the enemy is in Iraq, with officials saying they remain foggy about the leadership and organization of the insurgency and analysts decrying a huge intelligence lapse.

Military commanders and U.S. intelligence officials describe resistance forces in Iraq as some combination of loyalists of toppled President Saddam Hussein's government, criminals paid by those loyalists to carry out attacks, Islamic militants from outside Iraq, and isolated Shiite radicals.

Gen. John Abizaid, responsible for military efforts in Iraq as chief of U.S. Central Command, has estimated that no more than 5,000 people have taken up arms in the resistance.

But U.S. officials said they could not identify the leader or leaders of the insurgency, the degree of collusion among its elements and whether central coordination existed or autonomous groups operated merely at a regional level.

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[7th_Sephiroth]

1. i can see it now

orders from the top, fire at will

[karlschneider]

2. They could ask Pogo.

:eyes:

[bemildred]

10. Heh.

:thumbsup:

[JohnyCanuck]

3. Here's an easy way to tell.

Look for the ones throwing roses and assume the rest could be terrorists and/or guerrillas. That assumes, of course, that the terrarists wouldn't be throwing roses by day and firing RPG's and mortars by night. Oops maybe this will be harder to sort out than Uncle Rummy and Uncle Dick(head) let on.

[hang a left]

4. They just can say it can they? Let's see loyalists, Islamic militants

from OUTSIDE Iraq, paid criminals, isolated radicals.

I truly hope that the American people wake up and realize that these guerillas are Iraqi citizens protecting their homeland. The same as we would do, fight to the death.

[ElementaryPenguin]

5. The enemy in Iraq is the U.S.!!!! Duh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

eom

[ConcernedCanuk]

9. Just to clarify - Who wants the USA out of Iraq ?

. . where do I start ?

. . yes there will be some Saddam supporters

. . yes there will be groups like the Sunnis

. . but let's not forget the 8 - 10,000 CIVILIANS killed at the hands of the INVADERS



. . They all have relatives and friends left,

so there's alot of "normal" people that have a grudge against the USA

so my guess is that the "enemy" of the USA in Iraq

Is almost everyone !!

No big conspiracy there

Just My Humble Canadian Opinion

[peterh]

11. Ya know, it has occurred to me that the General…

And some others just might…privately…agree with that assessment, but unless he wants to find himself behind a desk in some obscure corner of the world, he’s forced to play the idiot-of-the-moment in assessing the obvious.

[0007]

15. How'ya figure that out?

[teryang]

6. Deficient in intelligence?

What a tactful way to put it.

<The failure to know with better clarity who is perpetrating the attacks is "a very powerful indication of how deficient our intelligence is," said Andrew Bacevich, a Boston University international relations professor and retired Army colonel.><snip>

<Abizaid said on Thursday, "Clearly, we need better intelligence at the regional and the national level" to understand the "leadership function" within the insurgency.>

Yes we do need better intelligence at the national level. Anyone who thinks colonialism can be forced on the Arab people is out of their mind. What about why they are perpetrating the attacks?

Maybe it is because the foreign force that has persecuted them for over twelve years, invaded their country, bombed, starved, killed and wounded tens of thousands, put millions out of work, and covets their resources and markets is now present in their country providing target practice. This level of resentment and desire for retribution can not be overcome by force.

The American force is in a remote unfriendly environment. It's lines of communications are extremely long making every effort about as expensive as it can get. The troops have little or no understanding of the culture and language. The enemy groups come from several different political and social sources to compete for national legitimacy by how many invaders they can kill and how much they can disrupt civil order and commerce. They are using assymetric warfare against an occupier that is logistically, politically and operationally now at a disadvantage because it has entered the killing zone far, far away from home and its resources are politically finite. The sources of these guerilla fighters are, politically and demographically speaking, inexhaustable.

[bemildred]

14. Heh.

:thumbsup:

[jenk]

7. we have met the enemy and it is US

[peterh]

8. Well, first of all….

I’m surprised the article uses resistance since the cabal has said no..no…can’t use that…it projects the wrong image of what we’re fighting. Terrorists have been by far the most popular followed by insurgents and guerillas. But of late, I’m seeing Saddam loyalists as maybe the preferred term for the big question being asked. Terrorists come in all sizes and colors and nationalities, so the image can get blurred, but a Saddam loyalist, well that’s an image that’ll get a NASCAR fan to clinch his fist.

Now personally, I think it’s easy…we’re fighting a loosely knit group of countrymen opposed to the occupation of their country and in reality….the real enemy be us.

[zbdent]

12. Easy enough for dittoheads: "Kill them all and let God

sort them out."

Isn't that their philosophy about the Middle East?

Or, you could do the Robin Williams bit from "Good Morning Vietnam": "We go up to someone and say 'Are you the enemy?' and if they say yes, we shoot 'em."

[ConcernedCanuk]

13. "the Robin Williams bit from "Good Morning Vietnam"

. . Excellent movie that was

. . besides entertainment value, the movie DID show what happens to people that "tell the truth"

i.e. Williams ( I furget his movie name) got "re-assigned" NOT by his CO, but from "above"

The gawdalmighty WH portrayed accurately !

Can't have that "truth" thing fecking up a good war !!