September 22nd, 2005, 05:11 AM
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#1 (permalink)
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Major Tom
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: lost
Posts: 2,972
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17 thanks in 11 posts
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Report: Iraq Invasion Radicalized Saudi Fighters
Iraq Invasion Radicalized Saudi Fighters: Report
Quote:
Hundreds of Saudi fighters who joined the insurgency in Iraq showed few signs of militancy before the U.S.-led overthrow of Saddam Hussein, according to a detailed study based on Saudi intelligence reports.
The study by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), obtained by Reuters on Sunday, also said Saudis made up just 350 of the 3,000-strong foreign insurgents in Iraq -- fewer than many officials have assumed.
"Analysts and government officials in the U.S. and Iraq have overstated the size of the foreign element in the Iraqi insurgency, especially that of the Saudi contingent," it said.
Non-Iraqi militants made up less than 10 percent of the insurgents' ranks -- perhaps even half that -- the study said.
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The study ... may offer further fuel to critics who say that instead of weakening al Qaeda, the 2003 invasion of Iraq brought fresh recruits to Osama bin Laden's network.
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I was / am amongst those critics.
What's your oppinion?
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