URL: http://www.back-to-iraq.com/archives/000854.php
January 06, 2005
200,000 in the insurgency?
BAGHDAD -- There's been a lot of talk about the number of fighters in
the insurgency, with General Muhammad Abdullah Shahwani, the head of
the Iraqi Intelligence Services, being quoted as putting the number at
200,000 -- more than the number of U.S. troops in country.
He's been widely -- and literally -- misinterpreted. I have a
translation of the original Jan. 4 interview in Al-Sharq newspaper and
it's clear he's talking about the passive support of the insurgency.
Here's what he actually said, as translated by one of my fixers here
in Baghdad:
What is your opinion about the number of the armed fighters in
Iraq?
Officially call them 'terrorists' because they are doing terrorism
against the people and they are outside the law, Their number is
between 20,000 and 30,000, in all of Iraq, distributed in the Sunni
area. [The "Sunni Triangle" -- CA] And the people who live in this
area and emotionally support them, are about 200,000 without
offering them money or logistic support. As an example, they don't
give any information about their activities if they have this
information.
That means those 200,000 do not fight with the fighters?
It's impossible that the fighters' numbers reach 200,000. These are
those who live in the areas where the fighters are active. For
example, the right side [western -- CA] of Mosul is completely out
of control and in this area, the terrorists are very active without
any announcement [informing -- CA] about them for the local people,
and very often they offer them shelter (hospitality).
Copyright ©2002-2005 Christopher Allbritton. This weblog is licensed
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