Estimates by U.S. See More Rebels With More Funds

[Eye and Monkey]

I note that they are now "rebels", not "insurgents".

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/22/international/middleeast/22insurgents.html?hp&ex=1098417600&en=fbfbcbcb6cb47265&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Published: October 22, 2004

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 21 - Senior American officials are beginning to assemble a new portrait of the insurgency that has continued to inflict casualties on American and Iraqi forces, showing that it has significantly more fighters and far greater financial resources than had been estimated.

When foreign fighters and the network of a Jordanian militant, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, are counted with home-grown insurgents, the hard-core resistance numbers between 8,000 and 12,000 people, a tally that swells to more than 20,000 when active sympathizers or covert accomplices are included, according to the American officials.

These estimates contrast sharply with earlier intelligence reports, in which the number of insurgents has varied from as few as 2,000 to a maximum of 7,000. The revised estimate is influencing the military campaign in Iraq, but has not prompted a wholesale review of the strategy, officials said.

In recent interviews, military and other government officials in Iraq and Washington said the core of the Iraqi insurgency now consisted of as many as 50 militant cells that draw on "unlimited money'' from an underground financial network run by former Baath Party leaders and Saddam Hussein's relatives.
<snip - more>

[TheKingfish]

1. blah blah blah blah blah ....

translation:

"we have no idea who we are fighting or how many there are but here are some numbers we pulled out of our ass."

[bemildred]

2. Translation:

"Even though we have had our heads firmly buried up our ass all this time,
we are now on top of things, and WE ARE IN CONTROL!"

[TahitiNut]

4. Exactly. They make a pretense of knowing ... and its all lies.

Every characterization of what "they think," what "they plan," and why "they hate us" is intended to manipulate the people and bears no relationship to any facts whatsoever.

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. "assemble a new portrait of the insurgency"

I never saw the "old" portrait, and I have been watching pretty closely.

Honest to god, for almost 2 years now they blow up stuff and people everyday, right there in the middle of the place, and nobody knows who they are?
It would seem that the US military is basically defenseless against this kind of warfare, nobody will help them, they are considered an evil occupying power.

[DeepModem Mom]

5. Top story, NYT today -- as Jon Stewart says: Mess-opotamia!

n/t

[leftchick]

6. they aren't "rebels" either....

they view themselves as "Resistance Fighters", which seems very appropriate considering whom they are fighting.

[maddezmom]

7. and everytime we kill a child, the US creates another

2 Children killed in car, US Blamed
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x923807

just f'ing sad. :(

[indie_voter]

8. Never mind this! Look behind you, WOLVES!! RUNNNN n/t

[Just Me]

9. We told you so,...we told you so,...we told you so.

There is also a study stating that our troops will HAVE to stay in Iraq for at least another five years.

Iraquagmire nightmare.

Damnit.

[livinbella]

10. Sounds like the work of Bin Laden to me!

Bin Laden and his Iran Qaida!
You know what to do boys!