Elusive Jordanian activist Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi has been attracting sympathic Iraqis and his ranks have swelled in recent months, a nigh-ranking US military officer has said.
The officer says Zarqawi's can count on between 500 to 1,000 armed men among his immediate support.
His clandestine cell-structure stands alongside a separate revolt of 5,000 hardcore Sunni Muslim fighters, motivated by issues from communal aspirations to the politics of Saddam Hussein's Baath party, which can grow even larger in times of crisis, the official told AFP.
The two movements are separate, and contrary to claims by the Bush administration, Zarqawi and Saddam's followers have probably never mixed, the official said.
...In reviewing the multiple strains of anti-US violence in Iraq,
the officer was adamant that Zarqawi most likely never had any ties to the former president of Iraq, either before the US-led invasion in March 2003 or after.
"Saddam didn't have any love for foreigners and... thought they had to be very closely watched. We have not found any evidence he cooperated with Zarqawi himself... In any case, I think he would be very wary of that kind of cooperation with Zarqawi."
White House officials have repeatedly cited Zarqawi as a missing link between Saddam Hussein and the al-Qaeda network in the buildup to the 2003 war.
The officer says Zarqawi's can count on between 500 to 1,000 armed men among his immediate support.
His clandestine cell-structure stands alongside a separate revolt of 5,000 hardcore Sunni Muslim fighters, motivated by issues from communal aspirations to the politics of Saddam Hussein's Baath party, which can grow even larger in times of crisis, the official told AFP.
The two movements are separate, and contrary to claims by the Bush administration, Zarqawi and Saddam's followers have probably never mixed, the official said.
...In reviewing the multiple strains of anti-US violence in Iraq,
the officer was adamant that Zarqawi most likely never had any ties to the former president of Iraq, either before the US-led invasion in March 2003 or after.
"Saddam didn't have any love for foreigners and... thought they had to be very closely watched. We have not found any evidence he cooperated with Zarqawi himself... In any case, I think he would be very wary of that kind of cooperation with Zarqawi."
White House officials have repeatedly cited Zarqawi as a missing link between Saddam Hussein and the al-Qaeda network in the buildup to the 2003 war.
A high-ranking, unnamed military officer, of course. And I guess if a military officer is going to say Bubbleboy's administration doesn't know jack shit, or is selling a crock of shit, then he (or she) would probably do well to remain unnamed.
I think you just have to believe what you want these days. There's too many groups to keep straight, and heaven knows the propaganda machine is working overtime. But, we'll just keep tossing these reports out there, and you just keep filing them where you will.
And speaking of dead or alive....
File this:
"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him." -- George Bush, 9/13/01
"I want justice... There's an old poster out West, as I recall, that said, 'Wanted: Dead or Alive,'" -- George Bush, 9/17/01
"I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority" and "I am truly not that concerned about him." -- George Bush, 3/13/02
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