[NYTr] Iraqi Resistance Alive and Well; Fighters Display New Weapons

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

[Al Jazeera's site has video at the links below. - NYTr]

Al Jazeeera - Dec 24, 2007
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/BDCB9BD8-4375-4C12-8CA0-5BB1D10350A5.htm


Iraqi fighters display new weapons

By Iraq correspondent Hoda Abdel Hamid

Foreign forces in Iraq are hoping that a much heralded drop in 
violence in Iraq will continue into the new year.

However, in exclusive images obtained by Al Jazeera, it seems 
fighters from the Islamic Front for Resistance in Iraq (Jami) are 
merely biding their time and training hard with an array of new 
weapons in order to drive foreign forces out as soon as possible.

Deep in the groves north of Baghdad, a group of fighters are shown on 
camera participating in an afternoon workshop on the making and use of
weapons.

It includes a step-by-step lesson on how to turn an old tank shell 
into a roadside bomb. It took only 20 minutes to put together a 
device powerful enough to blow up an armoured vehicle. Two will 
destroy a tank, the instructors say.

Countless videos of these devices' devastating effects are shown on 
military websites.

Roadside bombs are lethal devices that cause the bulk of US soldier 
casualties to this day.

'New methods'

The Pentagon has upgraded military equipment in Iraq to counter this 
kind of attack, but the enemy has remained relentless, and is swiftly 
adapting to the changes on the field.

"We have experts who are in charge of researching and developing new 
methods continuously," one of the men says.

"We need to find new ways all the time, in case we run out of
chemicals."

He also says the Americans are now using jamming devices, but their 
engineers have already managed to crack the code.

The fighters are part of Jami and describe themselves as a resistance 
group. They vow that all their firepower is directed at foreign
soldiers only.

"One shot, one soldier killed is the rule," says the instructor, a 
former army officer.

Market for weapons

The disbanding of the former Iraqi army and the controversial 
de-Baathification law were two monumental mistakes the US is still
paying for.

Disgruntled former officers with no future prospects sowed the seeds 
of the resistance and offered up their knowledge of warfare to young
recruits.

They say Iraq is the best market for any kind of weapon, including 
new Glock pistols which belong to the newly formed Iraqi security
forces.

In another set of images, the instructor explains how an old rifle 
used by the British nearly a century ago was recently upgraded.

"0ur enemies won't take such a weapon seriously," he says, "but with 
the changes we made, it has become very effective for snipers - equal 
to the modern sniper guns."

Rocket launchers, now with aiming sights welded on top, are also 
regularly used to fire at military convoys.

War machines

"Our researchers are developing remote controlled explosive devices, 
soon we [can] wage a battle with a little as two fighters"

Iraqi fighter
Over the past four years, groups such as Jami have grown into 
organised war machines, with fighters divided in combat cells, 
snipers, anti-aircraft gunners, bomb makers and artillery experts.

One man displays a new weapon in the video.

"This has a range of 1.4km," he says. "It is best aimed at bases 
which are not heavily fortified and individuals because the rounds are
small.

He instructs his students to fire the weapon at targets who are 
training or taking a break.

Long-haul battle

The recent announcement that Washington and the Iraqi government are 
drawing up plans for long-term US military bases is for many Iraqis 
proof of an open-ended occupation.

The fighters have every intention of continuing their operations and 
in an ever more sophisticated manner.

"Our researchers are developing remote-controlled explosive devices," 
one man says.

"Soon we will be able to wage a battle with as little as two fighters 
- we will minimise our losses."

Almost five years after the start of the war in Iraq, the US still 
has not acknowledged the existence of a fighting force hostile to the 
presence of foreign troops on Iraqi soil.

And despite a decrease in US casualties over the past two months, the 
fighters warn they are in this battle for the long haul.

Source: Al Jazeera

                               ***

Al Jazeera - Dec 23, 2007
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/23D247D6-4601-43D3-91B7-CF1DE1555FC8.htm

Iraq resistance still in operation 

Al Jazeera has obtained video footage that appears to show that Iraq's
resistance movements are very much in operation, despite the US
administration's claims. The US has been pointing to the decreasing
number of violent deaths in recent months as a sign the country is
being brought under control. The footage shows the inner workings of
the Islamic Front for Iraqi Resistance, known as Jami. 

Deeply nationalistic with a slight Islamic leaning, it appeals more to
Iraqis than extreme groups involved in global jihad such as al-Qaeda. 
Formed in 2004, the group's stated aim is to drive all foreign soldiers
out of Iraq. 

Dozens of attacks
 
It is not clear how many fighters the group has, but it claims to have
been responsible for dozens of attacks on US forces in northern Baghdad.

Al Jazeera, however, cannot independently verify Jami's claims.
 
Now, alongside its military campaign, it has launched a propaganda war
to get its message across. 

Over the years, Jami has established itself as a resistance group which
publicly condemns attacks on Iraqi security forces and random targeting
of Shia civilians. Its media centre is run by fighters who each hold a
masters degree in media, Al Jazeera has been told. 

'Our suffering'
 
A Jami media officer told Al Jazeera: "We want to show the West our
suffering and we want to show that the Iraqi resistance is not about
the killing of Iraqis and terrorism.

"We want them to understand the situation here and see that we are only
fighting occupation forces." 
For Jami, the most convincing recruitment tools are pictures of abuse
by US forces. 
The group's field of operations covers the provinces of Anbar,
Salahedin, Diyala and around Mosul in the north.

Of late, the US and Iraqi governments have taken advantage of a wave of
popular anger that has chased al-Qaeda from its strongholds, to claim a
small victory against the "insurgency". But groups such as Jami will
have to be dealt with by other means. 

In the absence of Iraqi security forces, they provide security by
setting up checkpoints in the areas under their control. 
Strangers barred
 
They make sure no stranger enters those areas and establish friendly
relations with residents. 

In return, the fighters get full support.
 
The US has not yet to acknowledge their existence as a political force.

Mohamed Ayash, the head of Iraqi Scholars' Council, says: "There is a
big deal of development in the political and military wings of the
resistance. "It now has a political council with a clear agenda.
 
"George Bush mentions al-Qaeda as his only enemy, he doesn't refer to
Iraqi resistance groups. 

"But they will continue their attacks on American soldiers."
 
Ending the fight in Iraq will have to include real negotiations with
Jami and the rest of the Iraqi resistance. 

So far, none of the plans for national reconciliation includes this
vital step. 

Source: Al Jazeera