Foreign fighters make up 4-6% of the insurgents. The rest are Iraqis

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GI27Ak03.html

Trashed: Some myths about Iraq

BANGALORE - A new study by a Washington-based think tank has trashed American and Iraqi government claims that foreign fighters dominate the insurgency in Iraq.

The report, which was brought out by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), an independent think tank, says that foreign militants - mainly from Algeria, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia - account for less than 10% of the estimated 30,000 insurgents in Iraq.

"The pattern of detainments and intelligence analysis indicates that the total number of foreign volunteers is well below 10%, and may well be closer to 4-6%," the study says.

The CSIS study refutes the claim made by the Bush administration and perpetuated by the Western mainstream media that foreign fighters make up a large proportion of the fighters in the insurgency. The number of foreign fighters "pales beside those for the Iraqis themselves", the study notes.

[tuvor]

1. "Insurgents" is just part of bush Newspeak.

After all, according to the boy king, "when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace."

[TahitiNut]

2. Foreign fighters make up 100% of the Occupation Coalition.

:shrug: How about expelling ALL foreign 'fighters' from Iraq?? Every last one.

[mike_c]

3. bingo-- WE'RE the foreign terrorists in Iraqnam....

eom

[Tower]

4. Did anybody really believe that most of the fighters were foreign?

It's a ridiculous claim to begin with. The same thing is happening in Iraq today that happened in Vietnam; we're facing a widespread, popular movement against the occupation.

The Iraqis don't want us there. Only a select caste of American society wants us to be there- corporatists who are making lots of money off the situation, and the empire-infatuated neocons.

[NNN0LHI]

5. Yes we had people repeating the "foreign fighters" talking point even here

It was a little embarrassing. I suppose it make some people feel better about what is being done in their name in Iraq? Notice how popular this thread is?

Don

[Tower]

6. Good point.