-Caveat Lector- HARETZ (Israel) Tuesday, April 01, 2003 Adar2 28, 5763 Israel Time: 04:57 (GMT+3)
Analysis / Rising fears Iraq could become haven for Al Qaida-type groups By Zvi Bar'el The report that 4,000 suicide volunteers are in Iraq is more exotic than a strategic threat at this stage, but it is raising fears of an Afghanistan-style scenario. According to Turkish and Jordanian military sources, Iraq could attract every organization and fragment group that has not found a military operating field since Afghanistan. "Iraq may turn into the next focus of Al-Qaida activity," said a senior Jordanian source. "Now there is a dangerous combination of radical Islamic rulings calling for jihad, a state in which every citizen carries arms, the lack of ability to distinguish between an innocent civilian and an activist in an organization, and an abundance of American targets." Iraq's long and unsecured borders enable entrance from nearly every direction - Syria, Iran, Jordan and Turkey - and every village or township has plenty of weapons and explosive charges for volunteers to stock up on. The result is already evident: When coalition soldiers have difficulty setting traffic regulations for civilians, roadblocks turn into points of unrest, food distribution becomes a dangerous military operation, and every civilian vehicle is a suspicious object. In fact, a war within a war is developing in Iraq: one involves heavy weapons, planes and missiles against the Iraqi regime's targets, while the other involves an ongoing war to secure the fighting forces and logistic divisions from sporadic attacks. A threat even greater than outside volunteers, however, is being posed by Iraqi civilians - this includes military men dressed in civil clothing and tribesmen who received arms and money from Iraqi army commanders to act against the coalition forces. "Tribal heads have turned into a regular fighting force and are assigned combat missions," the Jordanian source said. "They cannot beat an army, but they can harass it and detain it. More important, they are forcing the American and British forces to allocate large forces for guard and protection duty." According to reports before the war, American intelligence men tried to persuade these tribal leaders to start a civil uprising, but it appears the attempt failed. This double campaign is delaying implementation of the civil aid program that not only was supposed to transfer food, medicine and water to the population, but also was supposed to build a bridge of confidence between the coalition forces and the population. The longer the civil aid plan is delayed due to the lack of security on the main routes and the inability to reach population centers, the harder it will be for coalition forces to mobilize civil aid for the war. Iraqi propaganda is taking advantage of the struggle for the public's heart. Yesterday it presented foreign correspondents with Iraqi women enlisting as warriors in the country's cities where they received lavish meals at their positions. Iraq says there is enough food to last five or six months, while international aid organizations estimate food supplies will last only four or five weeks. The problem is not merely food distribution and humanitarian aid administration. Apparently in those townships and villages conquered, or partly dominated, by the coalition forces, the local authorities have been eliminated and there is no one overseeing public safety. Gangs of robbers and looters have been formed, and in some places, there have been reports of deadly score settling. The coalition forces lack the knowledge, ability and suitable personnel to cope with these developments. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http://archive.jab.org/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http://archive.jab.org/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
