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Mission Accomplished?

How do you know things are not going well in Iraq? The US military boasts that casualties are down because insurgents now concentrate on attacking civilians.

But it appears the US Army and Marine Corps is downplaying the severity of fighting in the Al-Anbar province. A report on Al-Jazeera.net indicted that as many as two helicopters have been shout down as forces storm cities along the Euphrates River near the Syrian border. But the resistance now reportedly might have uniforms, body armor, and best of all…armor piercing rounds that have killed several US troops who wander into building only to be shot at through walls.

A Canadian website that posts “official” Al Qaeda briefings, jihadspun.com, intimates one such report where one hundred American troops have been killed. The Washington Post on Thursday reported that an entire company of Marines has been decimated by ambushes other guerrilla tactics. Problematic news considering the Defense Department sent 1,000 troops for the Operation, code named “Matador”.

Yet evidence continues to mount these insurgents are not all Iraqi, a Marine told the Washington Post’s journalist. He pointed to enemy dead with “olive skin, thick curly hair, and delicate features”. The implication is curious. The physical description in light of what sort of equipment these foreign fighters are wielding is probably seen as involvement by Iran. But could the conventional wisdom be wrong here?

Perhaps, but the combination of characteristics cited are unusual outside of Europe. The
Chechens could fit the profile, but they already have their hands full fighting against the Russians. Somalis are known for fine features, but thick curly hair is not common there. Given how well known Tunisians are within Al Qaeda, it’s possible they are who the Marines refer to. But Tunisia’s government is not oil-rich and would have sparse military supplies to equip them.

Still, it could be that Al Qaeda is so flush with cash that they have bought old Soviet surplus from arms dealers only to issue it to new recruits to the insurgency upon arrival.

Each implies however, that the insurgency is better-financed and armed than previously thought because of the presence of outside influence.
posted by Thomas at 5:42 PM 0 comments