Coalition battling Fedayeen and "MYSTERY" forces

Bob Arnot, MSNBC

[GLDNGUN]

Bob Arnot, currently reporting live on MSNBC says Coalition forces at his location are battling the Fedayeen and a group he said he WAS NOT ALLOWED TO IDENTIFY. Al Qaeda? Any other guesses? He did indicate that these are highly skilled fighters, especially in regards to sniping.

[Steve Van Doorn]

"RUSSIAN SPETZNATZ"

I hope not those guys are bad ass and I doubt it. Russia has there own problems.

[GLDNGUN]

I am inclined to agree with your #1 guess. Bob later mentioned the Middle Eastern types from other countries that had been captured recently, so I think we can rule those out. I also don't know why he would not be allowed to identify al Qaeda fighters. Why keep that a secret? There was a report I recall prior to the war that said the Iraqi embassy was being beseiged by Russians looking for travel visas to fight the Coalition. Russian would fit the bill of highly skilled fighters, including snipers. Then we had the incident yesterday with the Russian officials trying to get out of Baghdad and took fire. Perhaps these "officials" were actually military types that received fire from the Coalition as a warning. I'm sure we could have toasted them if we had wanted to.

[GLDNGUN]

I am inclined to agree with your #1 guess. Bob later mentioned the Middle Eastern types from other countries that had been captured recently, so I think we can rule those out. I also don't know why he would not be allowed to identify al Qaeda fighters. Why keep that a secret? There was a report I recall prior to the war that said the Iraqi embassy was being beseiged by Russians looking for travel visas to fight the Coalition. Russian would fit the bill of highly skilled fighters, including snipers. Then we had the incident yesterday with the Russian officials trying to get out of Baghdad and took fire. Perhaps these "officials" were actually military types that received fire from the Coalition as a warning. I'm sure we could have toasted them if we had wanted to.

[Quix]

You probably have a very good point there.

Though, again, not sure how many are how great a marksmen.

Some Chinese should be/could be.

Not sure about the PLO.

[xm177e2]

I've heard Palestinians and Jordanians were in Baghdad. It would make sense that he couldn't announce this because Jordan is basically an ally of ours.

[Hazzardgate]

That would be my guess.

[xm177e2]

If the Russians were trying to destroy records from the Saddam regime, they just might have sent in special forces (who were then surprised by the rapid American advance and didn't get out in time)... but I doubt it.

[Quix]

Good points.

It would certainly be the Russian sort of thing to do.

[GLDNGUN]

Brownshirts is another good guess, although I have a MAJOR problem with LeBout, but that's another story...

[HiTech RedNeck]

Palestinian Liberation Front or other pallie group.

That would certainly be a political hot button.

[rightisright]

I'll guess...Romulans? :-)

[RLK]

What would happen if we were told who these mystery forces were?

[cynwoody]

RUSSIAN SPETZNATZ. Any bets?

I thought those guys were busy coping with their own raghead problem in Chechnya.

[Shermy]

I'm trying to find the article. But remember the first bombing? Didn't get Hussein, but, surprisingly enough, it did get a leader of the PLF, Abu Abbas' group. Steyn remarked on it, so did others, but the info just passed by the wayside...

Mujahadeen al-Khalq is an Marxist-Islamic Iranian opposition group sponsored by Hussein - not just guerillas, but with regular army-type formations. Wonder where they are...

[John H K]

Well, the secret of the French Foreign Legion is that they aren't "Foreign" because they're sent overseas, they're "Foreign" because they're not French. At least not supposed to be (Some French do sneak in.) I believe they're mostly British, actually.

[truth_seeker]

"The deal is that Bush & Co. do not want to be known as killing "soldiers" ages 14 and under. Hence the cryptic reference here."

I think you have identified the situation. These young people have been mentioned in print media, recently. Fanatical, brainwashed...which is a sad fact, in a ruthless, bloody dictatorial authoritarian regime.

Hence the political/humanitarian sensitivity. Better to just get the killing done, with no "publicity."

The sooner all the killing gets done, the sooner the killing will be over. Or nearly over.

The political, media control, humanitarian issues have been dealt with about as masterfully, as the raw military aspects. IMO

[Travis McGee]

Palestineans.

[Shermy]

Just read by yahoo search that some, at least, of the Mujahedeen al-Khalq are up in Kirkuk.

[cynwoody]

Palestineans.

Good guess. That would explain both why it's important not to take prisoners and why their origin is a sensitive matter. And why Syria should be next.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

The story I mentioned above was written on Thursday Oct. 4, 2001 - less than a month after the World Trade Center went down.