Inside the resistance

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1061703,00.html

Popular anger is forging an alliance between diverse strands of Iraq's guerrilla movement

Zaki Chehab
Monday October 13, 2003
The Guardian

The suicide bomber who yesterday attacked the US-frequented Baghdad Hotel was the fourth member of the Iraqi resistance to kill themselves for the cause. The bombing came only three days after last week's suicide attack on a Baghdad police station that left at least eight people dead. From the meetings I have had with resistance fighters in different parts of Iraq, there is no doubt that there will be many more such attacks to come.

The use of suicide bombing in Iraq - the first announced target was the UN in August - signals a clear change of tactics by the growing resistance movement. The US-led coalition forces, frustrated by their inability to control the situation, blame foreign infiltrators for these attacks, emphasising the similarity between these new tactics and those of al-Qaida and other militant groups in the Middle East. Few seem to grasp the fact that Iraqis, who are well-trained militarily, have simply learned from others' experiences, and carried out the attacks themselves.

I first met Iraqi resistance fighters at a farm in the suburbs of Ramadi, north of Baghdad. It was several months after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, and on that day the people of Ramadi were gathering at a mosque to grieve the death of a young Iraqi killed by US forces. The man - unarmed, and driving a civilian car - had failed to stop at a checkpoint. There had been no signs warning him or other drivers of the danger they were approaching. I was taken aback by the strength of the anger felt by the local people - such deaths (this young man was not the first to die at the checkpoint, nor the last) were clearly galvanising local people to fight back against the occupation forces.

After the funeral, with the dreaded 10pm curfew fast approaching, my new Iraqi companions invited me to go with them to a nearby place of safety. As we made the dangerous journey along the road from Ramadi to Baghdad - the site of daily attacks by the resistance and street gangs - the conversation turned to the nature of the Iraqi resistance movement. I was very keen to find out why it was spreading throughout Iraq so quickly, and what motivated its members. My companions - ordinary Iraqis - immediately offered to introduce me to the fighters they knew.

more

[bleedingheart]

1. Good post!

Nothing unites diverse groups more than an oppressive force.

American colonies vs England
Visigoths etc vs Roman Empire

[sistersofmercy]

2. Well we know stupid Bush* won't read this since he doesn't

bother to read newspapers but perhaps someone should send this article to Condi.
Iraqi are intensely proud ppl. I have read many interviews in foriegn press with former commanders and soldiers in Iraq military they all say the same thing, Saddam was stupid. Also I have chatted with Iraqis living abroad via chat rooms and they say Saddam was stupid.
Hey thanks you also post the best news articles!

[snooper2]

3. bump

:kick:

[huckleberry]

4. EXCELLENT article! Thanks for posting!

This paragraph really sums it up --

"Iraq is a country which has faced more than 20 years of war, and more than a decade of sanctions. The motivations of each strand of Iraqi resistance vary: the loyalists are driven by the loss of power; the nationalists by the desire to establish independence and security; the Islamists by their dream of returning political Islam to the Iraqi nation. These aspirations may be incompatible, but the focus of each group now is to fight together against the common enemy of Iraq - the occupying forces."