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TechnoratiBAGHDAD - About 60 percent of the foreign militants fighting in Iraq have come from U.S. allies Saudi Arabia and Libya, unidentified U.S. military officials said in a newspaper report on Thursday.
The New York Times said the information was found in documents uncovered in a U.S. military raid on an insurgents' camp near Sinjar, in northwest Iraq near the Syrian border, in September.
Material seized at the camp, believed to be used by a cell responsible for smuggling the majority of foreign fighters into Iraq, showed the home towns of more than 700 foreign militants who entered Iraq since August 2006, the newspaper said.
A total of 305 of the foreign fighters listed in the documents, or 41 percent, were from Saudi Arabia. Another 137, or 18 percent, were Libyan. Yemenis were the third largest group, the newspaper said.
Officials also concluded that the number of foreign militants entering Iraq had dropped sharply in 2007, the report said, falling from 80 to 110 per month in the first half of the year to around 40 in October.
Syrians -- via whose country many fighters are suspected of reaching Iraq -- made up 8 percent of the individuals listed.
Accusations that Syria hasn't done enough to stem that flow have long been a point of tension with Washington.
In the article, military officials said most of the fighters had flown into Damascus or entered Syria through Jordan. Some were reportedly captured and then released by Syrian authorities.
General David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, has praised Syria for steps it has taken to crack down on militants entering Iraq.
"There does appear to have been more robust action by Syria against some foreign fighter networks," he told The Wall Street Journal.
He said the number of foreign fighters entering Iraq each month had dropped by at least one third.
In the interview, published on Wednesday, Petraeus struck a cautious note about the possibility of future troop reductions. as he assessed the sharp drop in violence since an extra 30,000 U.S. troops were deployed in Iraq this year.
President George W. Bush plans to bring about 20,000 troops home by July.
© Reuters 2007.
32 Comments so far
Show AllI say we start with Toronto...
(I tried to edit repeatedly, but it didn't work. So I'm making another posting)
Follow-up to my last posting: it is illustrative of the massive hubris involved in calling Usania "America", that Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of America, never once set foot in the USA. He made several voyages and went to several countries in this continent, but Usania was not one of them. Columbus discovered Cuba, he discovered Haiti, he discovered various other countries in the Caribbean and Central America. But he did not discover the USA. This continent, America, may indeed be the "Land of Columbus"; but Usania is not - any more than is Canada or Chile or Greenland or any other country in America where Columbus did not go.
Mark Marshall
Toronto
To massud (12:58 am): Usanians are the people of Usania - i.e. the USA. I prefer "Usania" rather than "the USA", because the latter is not a name; it is a title. In fact, it is an abbreviated form of the very long, cumbersome and pretentious title "The United States of America". Every country needs a name. And until recently (when the term "Usania" was invented) the USA was the only country in the world that did not have a name. Some people call Usanians "Americans" - that is technically correct, but misleading, because America is not a country, it is a continent that contains 35 countries. So while Usanians are indeed Americans, so are Cubans, Jamaicans, Canadians, Mexicans, Chileans, Haitians etc. etc. Some will tell me "don't be silly: everybody calls them Americans". But I refuse to concede a continental identity to the people of only one country. And I also think that this (admittedly long-standing) linguistic tendency to conflate Usania with the entire American continent has the effect of fostering hubris among Usanians.
Christopher Columbus went to many countries in America, but he never set foot on US soil. Columbus discovered Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and many other countries, but he did not discover Usania. America may indeed by the "Land of Columbus", but Usania is not.
Mark Marshall
Toronto
Canada
America
Excuse me MarkMarshall, who exactly are "Usanians?"
Arostook War??? I looked it up, not a single shot fired in a dispute that was between a single state of the Union and a colony of Great Britain back in the 1830s.
Interesting to note that was a decade and a half after the USA did launch a full scale invasion of Canada while Britain was fighting for its existance against the French. A great war that was, one that saw the yanks deploy an army without proper footwear and sent them into a Canadian winter. Kinda like you sent them to Iraq without armour...
A number of battles were won by us when we either tricked the yanks into shooting at each other instead of us, or made them think places like Detroit were being besieged by millions of Indians (instead of the 150-200 natives who were actually there, Thanks Gen. Hull.) Again kinda like today when Petty-usa and bushie thinks that millions of Al-Queda terrorists are the problem instead of the native born insurgents of Iraq, supplemented by people from the land of Saud and Libya.
Speaking of the War of 1812 (North American Version, not the Napoleanic Wars) as with Iraq in 2003 you invaded a country that had little to do with the people with whom you may have had legitimate issues. Altho I still say those 'yank' sailors really had deserted from RN ships.
What was it that US President said about invading Canada? "A mere matter of marching." Some march, too bad it brings to mind what GW Bush said about Iraqi's welcoming Yank troops with flowers...
You just sealed your fate SKIP, that's exactly what our generals look for when they draw up invasion plans. Ever been to Caribou, and Limestone Maine, way up in Arostook County? We plunked one of the largest Air Force bases ever right there up on a high plateau, which was once a pea patch, and that is what we called the base. "The Pea Patch". The base was closed years ago, but understand Halliburton is now there bulding a home for the soon to come homeless. They got a huge coal fired creatorium there too.
Actually we did invade Canada some years back, it was the little known Arostook War. We fought a war with Canada over who had the right to Arostook County, Maine, we won and we got it. __ So there.
I wonder if The Chaos Theory has George Bush in it.
I totally agree with this, but you know a great deal of people think he is doing it for religious reasons?
I'd support a Canadian invasion and liberation of DC right about now!
Since when is Libya a US ally? I guess I fell asleep there for a couple of years. Libya used to be a "major threat" to the US from what I can remember. I guess times do change. Perhaps they started sharing their oil? Yea, that must be it. Nice of them, considering the threats, assasinations and propaganda campaign waged against them all through the sixties right up until the 90s. But I guess that's where the fighters are coming from; from the people with long memories.
If USA invaded Canada, I'd hope there are a lot of Yanks that would try to come up and help. There's always been a bond between Americans and Canadians. Its just the damned governments that get in the way and screw things up.
I didn't say nuttin there Kem, not a thing. The only things up here in Canada are Igloos and some scrawny trees. Oh, and the ice is radioactive! The girls are all ugly, the men near neanderthals. Did I mention the conditions of the roads after all those years of nasty socialists? The ruts of the roads would disable any type of Humvee - totally impassable. We also have these evil superflies, the blackfly, they'll drive a saint mad. Not to mention the mosquetoes, worse than the tropics they are.
That's actually not such a bad idea there SKIPPY. What ya got up there we need? Glad you brought it up.
Of course I'd prefer Mexico. That would solve the border crossing problems. Their water is now better than our is in most places too. It's also closer to home, we'd save gas for our tanks and other neat killing goodies. Good lookin gals and lots of swell food, great weather and beaches galore. Tequila and merry-ochey bands. They have lots of good oil too. That shold do it. I'd bet the Pentagon boys and gals have contingency plans already drawn up.
Canada ain't got that good stuff, lousy dirty oil, lousy weather, a bunch of displaced Frogs and Englishmen who probably wish they could drive on the wrong side of the road. I think you're safe enough from us.
Buttttt, ya never know with this buch running the joint. ___ They're pretty stupid.
Mark "If Canada were invaded by a foreign country, I would hope, as a Canadian, that people from other Anglo-Saxon countries would volunteer to come here to help us fight the invaders."
Well, that depends doesn't it... If the USA decides to invade our fair land to get food and fuel, do you really think England would send troops to our defence like we did for them in the last century? I have no doubt that we'll be on our own if the yanks come bearing arms.
"President George W. Bush plans to bring about 20,000 troops home by July."
With or without arms and legs and minds?
skippyagogo41 November 22nd, 2007 3:26 pm said,
"Then again I am also amazed that the usa didn't plant WMD (made in the USA) in Iraq after they invaded that country…"
When we took that Iraqi air base in the western desert right after we started the war, then promptly sealed it off, I expected that that was where, after a month or so of careful preparation, the stash of WMD's would suddenly be found. These guys are so dumb, they could still try to pull something like for the final vindication, assuming the the American Sheeple are dumb enough to fall for it. (Possibly not a bad assumption)
You know we would.
Saudis, Libyans and Yemenis aren't foreigners. They're Arabs, who have gone to an Arab country to fight the foreigners who invaded it. Iraq is an Arab country, and partly a Kurdish one; it is NOT an Anglo-Saxon country. The Anglo-Saxon invaders - i.e. Australians, Britons and Usanians - are foreigners in Iraq.
If Canada were invaded by a foreign country, I would hope, as a Canadian, that people from other Anglo-Saxon countries would volunteer to come here to help us fight the invaders.
Mark Marshall
Toronto
I wonder if The Chaos Theory has George Bush in it.
KEM PATRICK: yes, the Bush family and the Saudi Arabian royal family are indeed very, very, close –kissin' cousins close.
Although you and I most likely won't live to see the day, I'm almost certain that one day (if the course this planet's on doesn't change for the better) a book will be written about exactly HOW close these two families are or were. That would be some very interesting reading. Basically, these two families are running the world; and we have our watch dog, Israel, sitting on the front porch to make sure that no one threatens the home(land). I use the word "dog" here because the extremely violent ones might just bite you back, so you have to be careful with it.
And Stiv Whitman, isn't propaganda fun? The "Top" fighters are the Libyans and Saudi Arabians. I ask myself what definition of the word 'top" are they using? Do they mean the best fighters? That's the first thought that came to my mind. But no, I imagine they are referring to amount; quantity – not quality.
This is a dumb question, but I'll type it anyway. Why isn't the USA running to the UN Security Council, demanding that something be done about this? But I've forgotten. We've made some sort of sweet deal with the Libyans and why would you want to hurt a kissin' cousin? But no, gotta keep that chaos going.
Saudi Arabia has been suppling the insurgents with arms for a long time now. All Bush can whine about is Iran's supposed involvement???? What would we do without our friends help??????
Far more than 150,000 if you add in all the private mercenaries. There's a fable going around that the U.S. is trying to minimize the amount of violence in Iraq. Actually, the opposite is probably true. When your chief export is weapons your global marketing strategy is chaos. How many terrorists are on the CIA payroll?
This is the first site I log onto in the morning as I know the sarcastic wit I read on here gives me a good laugh to start my day.
The only problem is that most of it is true.
Generically, these people are reported as being "Al Qeada." Saudi Arabia and Syria are both brutal dictatorships, so youngsters are easily convinced that going into Iraq and shooting people is a good thing. (Youngsters here are easily convinced too, even though the US isn't exactly a brutal dictatorship in comparison to these countries)
Considering the amount of destructive ordinance the US has pummeled onto areas in the Iraqi west, destroying entire villages with truck bombs, various artillery and air strikes alike, it's any wonder fighters are still "coming in" from Syria.
I'm shocked, shocked that there are foreign (not from the usa that is) fighters in Iraq. What's next; gambling in casino's?
What I actually find amazing is that the usa hasn't found an Iranian, planted arms on him, and paraded the poor sap around as another reason to invade Iran. Then agian I am also amazed that the usa didn't plant WMD (made in the USA) in Iraq after they invaded that country...
The Sauds and Bush are kissing friends....The Libyans are the oil oligarchs new best friend....Nothing to see, move on, ain't nothing going to happen to them.
Actually, the largest contigent of foreign fighters is the USA, with 150,000
NO way, the Saudis are our friends. The Bush and the bin Laden families are very close. Very, very, very, close.
"President George W. Bush plans to bring about 20,000 troops home by July."
Big deal. July is long ways from now, and this is less than what was dispatched to Iraq in his surge plan. Does he think he can fool us by pretending that he's gradually reducing troops? Not me.
Wrong. US military are the "Top Foreign Fighters"!
Hilarious. Propaganda is invisible.
Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that the largest number of foreign fighters in Iraq are Americans.
It seems this "foreign fighter" thing, and the idea that they, and the countries they are from, are "bad guys" depends upon whose ox is being gored. Ditto with the arms shipped in.
When the Soviet Union went into Afghanistan, for reasons they considered good and proper, fighters from all over went there to assist the resistance, the mujahedin. The USA supplied arms, and probably covert fighters (and let us not forget Gunga Dan). This was widely celebrated, and the hated Soviets were shot down (with Stingers), or just plain shot. Eventually, the "Evil Empire" got sick of it and went home.
Now, the "Good Empire" is in Iraq. Why cannot the entire Muslim world see the difference, and bring garlands to hang around our soldiers' necks, instead of sending in fighters and arms? Are these people so stupid they cannot distinguish between one set of occupiers and another? No wonder the entire mideast is a shithole.
What about the foreign fighters who are there, unknown to them in most cases, to help loot the oil?