Saddam`s “Muhammad’s Army” Behind Chinook Disaster

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=652
<snip>
Two features are emerging from the escalating wave of violence besetting Iraq:

1. The US military command in Iraq headed by Gen. Ricardo Sanchez is determined to pursue a course that he believes will lead to Saddam Hussein’s capture.

2. US ground operations continue to go forward without adequate intelligence support. In fact, Saddam’s guerrillas appear to have access to a better picture of US troop movements than the Americans command in relation to the Iraqi resistance.

DEBKAfile’s military and intelligence sources reveal that, during the week between the initial rocket attack on Baghdad’s al Rashid Hotel on October 26 where US deputy defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz was staying, and the shooting down of the Chinook helicopter, American authorities in Iraq were in secret negotiation with Saddam’s number two, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, on terms for his surrender. The talks were brokered by the Kurdish PDK commander Jalal Talabani, who is a member of the interim Governing Council and reputed to be well connected with the Americans and members of Saddam Hussein’s circle alike.

Al-Douri’s key demand was for an American guarantee not to hand him over to Kuwait, where he is under death sentence for atrocities committed during the Iraqi invasion of August 1990. This condition was rejected. Al-Douri remained at large in the battle arena. He is believed to be close to one of the most dangerous units of the pro-Saddam guerrilla force, which is known as Muhammad’s Army.

On August 18, DEBKAfile revealed the existence of Muhammed’s Army : “This group of Iraqi Baathists operates in the guise of Muslim fundamentalists. They are concentrated around Baghdad international airport and the cluster of military airfields in Habania and western Iraq, H-1, H-2 and H-3, armed with shoulder-launched Sam 7 anti-air missiles. In July, they tried to down a US fighter plane and a C-130 transport but missed both.
<snip>

[jenk]

1. sigh

2. US ground operations continue to go forward without adequate intelligence support. In fact, Saddam’s guerrillas appear to have access to a better picture of US troop movements than the Americans command in relation to the Iraqi resistance.


if that's true, it's enough to make you bang your head against the wall.....

on the propaganda front, it makes sense that they were negotiating with al douri, because they day before reports come out that he's "behind the resistance movement" so how convenient that we capture the guy......and all is well!

it also talks about how chechens have joined the army, but i have yet to hear of them capturing any chechens in iraq.

[jenk]

2. and what do you make of this?

more from the article

Piecing these contradictions together with its exclusive data, DEBKAfile’s military sources maintain that the Chinooks were in fact carrying up to 70 US fighting men on a secret anti-insurgency mission in the Sunni Triangle. The Iraqis got wind of their flight route and prepared an anti-air missile ambush. The bomb attack on a US civilian convoy in the center of Falluja, in which another two Americans were killed, was part of the same ambuscade. Saddam loyalist forces expected the American raid to come either as an air drop or a ground assault - or a combination of the two.

[bemildred]

10. Pending further input,

I assume its bullshit.
Gotta keep that hit rate up, you know.

[Maple]

3. Debka

has yet to be right about anything.

[Aidoneus]

4. not even the Chinese tanks entering Afghanistan to fight the US?

the hell you say!

Ahem, uhm, right.. DEBKA would be more accurate if they stuck to Elvis sightings like the rest of the tabloid trash papers.

[Maple]

7. LOL Gad!

I'd forgotten about that one!

[NNN0LHI]

5. Yes. But you have to applaud their consistency n/t

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

6. They were just right in the number of American's killed in the Chinook...

Granted there's going to be political opinion in a lot from Debka, but there is also a view that isn't seen by the American press.

[Maple]

8. That wouldn't be hard to figure out

and there are lots of views in the world different than the American press...but far more accurate than Debka.

[lazarus]

9. Debka

Is not considered an LBN source. I'm moving this to GD.