Insurgents shifting attacks to Iraqis

AP | 11/25/03 | HAMZA HENDAWI

[kattracks]

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — Iraqi insurgents have shifted from attacking U.S. and other coalition forces to attacks on Iraqis who are working with the U.S.-led occupation, the chief administrator said Tuesday.

"The security situation has changed," L. Paul Bremer III told reporters at a press conference with Gen. John Abizaid, the chief of the U.S. Central Command. "In the past attacks against the coalition were predominant. Now terrorist attacks against Iraqis are regular."

Abizaid said there were some foreigners fighting with the insurgents but their numbers were small. He said the main threat facing U.S. and coalition forces came from supporters of ousted leader Saddam Hussein.

"They have failed to intimidate the coalition," Bremer said. "They have now begun a pattern of trying to intimidate innocent Iraqi. They will not succeed...If Saddam taught the Iraqis nothing else it was how to endure the depredations of thugs."

Bremer was referring to a series of attacks including two car bombs last weekend at police stations in Baqouba and Khan Bani Saad, the assassination Saturday of a police colonel in Mosul and the killing Sunday of a police chief in Latifiyah near Baghdad.

Bremer was asked whether insurgents may try to disrupt the process of choosing members of the National Assembly and other steps to democracy which will be undertaken as part of the plan to transfer sovereignty to the Iraqis by July 1.

"We have to anticipate that there will have to be a level of terrorism in this country" for some time to come, Bremer said. "As the process of democracy moves forward in the next six to seven months, they may try to attack the institutions of democracy."

Abizaid agreed that the number of daily attacks on coalition forces were down by about half over the last two weeks. He gave no figures but U.S. officials said at the time that U.S. forces were being attacked on average of 30-35 times a day.

"In the past two weeks, these attacks have gone down attacks against coalition forces but unfortunately we find that attacks against Iraqis have increased," Abizaid said. He said the attacks had increased not only in numbers but in severity.

Bremer added that the plan for choosing national assembly delegates in caucuses in each of the 18 provinces will produce "a much more broadly representative government" than the current, 25-seat Governing Council.

The U.S.-appointed council includes representatives of Shiite, Sunni, Kurdish and other groups depending on the size of the different religious and ethnic communities.

Abizaid said some of the foreigners believed fighting with the insurgents included Syrians, Saudis and Yemenis among others. Significantly, he said no Iranians had been found so far with the insurgents.

He said the "main problem" facing the coalition was not with foreigners but with "agents of the former regime."

[weegee]

Iraqi insurgents have shifted from attacking U.S. and other coalition forces to attacks on Iraqis who are working with the U.S.-led occupation, the chief administrator said Tuesday.

"The security situation has changed," L. Paul Bremer III told reporters at a press conference with Gen. John Abizaid, the chief of the U.S. Central Command. "In the past attacks against the coalition were predominant. Now terrorist attacks against Iraqis are regular."

So which are they AP? Insurgents or Terrorists?

As if AgitProp would know the difference.

[goldstategop]

If they target Iraqi civilians, they're terrorists. Even stupid AP should be able to tell the difference. Its a good sign they're going after what they think is weaker game. For our enemies, its now or never. If they can't derail a budding Iraqi democracy in its formative stages, they'll never be able to bring it down later when its much stronger. Fortunately, we have the will and the means to win.

[tkathy]

"Insurgents" or serial killers? War criminals? The politically correct semantics are criminal.

[Wonder Warthog]

"So which are they AP? Insurgents or Terrorists?"

Methinks you are mis-reading the second sentence. The meaning is actually that the insurgents are carrying out terrorist-style attacks against Iraqi civilians, not making a distinction between "insurgents" or "terrorists".

[Grut]

If Saddam taught the Iraqis nothing else it was how to endure the depredations of thugs.

Saddam taught them to 'endure' by letting the thugs have their way. We need to teach the Iraqis to resist.

[weegee]

The meaning is actually that the insurgents are carrying out terrorist-style attacks.

The "insurgents" are "terrorists" if it is admitted that they are using terrorist "tactics". The targets are unimportant.

Was DC sniper Malvo an "insurgent"?

Formalize the military combantants. The press has wanted to portray these as "resistance fighters" but they don't come from Iraq, they come from other nations to fight.

Even the LA Times has wised up to this and admonished their writers to choose their words carefully.

[jimbo123]

Note the AP story author: HAMZA HENDAWI