Free Republic

U.S. and British naval forces are on high alert against seaside suicide attacks after Iranian gunboats intercepted an Iraqi speedboat packed with half a ton of high explosives. Navy alerted for speedboats like these Zodiacs Three other Iraqi speedboats got away when Iranian forces engaged Iraqis at the mouth of the Shatt-al-Arab River, the waterway that marks the border between the two countries. The explosives were discovered after one of the Iraqi boats was run aground during the confrontation. Coalition warships in the region have been on high alert for the risk of al-Qaida strikes since the suicide attack against...

Iraq has obtained inflatable, motorized boats from Yugoslavia for suicide missions against U.S. and allied forces in the Persian Gulf. Western intelligence sources identified the vessels as Zodiac-class boats procured from companies in the Balkans. The boats were purchased by Syria and smuggled into Iraq for use by a new suicide unit formed by the regime of President Saddam Hussein. Iraq has been actively recruiting members for various suicide units. Some of the units have been operating against Kurdish targets in northern Iraq. Others are being trained for missions against neighboring Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The boats are designed...