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thedrifter
12-19-03, 05:36 AM
12-16-2003

Saddam’s Capture – Blip or Bombshell?







By Ralf W. Zimmermann



Congrats to the grunts of the special task force of the 4th Infantry Division and their comrades in Task Force 121. In a tremendous team effort of special operations and conventional forces, they got their man and delivered an early present to President Bush.



After eight months on the run, Saddam dropped to the amateur list of international villains – and he didn’t fight to the death as once proclaimed, but scrambled to negotiate. That now leaves Osama Bin Laden with three years on the run as the Numero Uno terrorist cave dweller.



Saddam’s capture was doubtlessly, a much-needed political victory at a time when the rebuilding of Iraq was proving more difficult than initially envisioned. Regrettably however, the news media once again made you believe that the capture ends the war. Just like during the hype reporting of the fall of Baghdad and Dubya’s aircraft carrier spiel, many interviewed Americans actually believe that the troops will soon come home.



A political and military realist, I was delighted to see the tyrant rat cornered. I see Saddam’s capture as an opportunity to signal to die-hard Iraqis that the old regime is finally finished. U.S. forces must now seek ways to gradually turn inner-security responsibilities over to the Iraqis. We must somehow demonstrate that we aren’t long-term military occupiers.



Ultimately, I’d caution everyone from overrating the Saddam capture. This wasn’t a heroic combat operation with deadly engagements but the systematic capture of one tired and ragged refugee, who no longer had much control over the current insurgency movement.



Although a few Saddam loyalists still roam the Sunni triangle, Saddam has obviously lost most of his stature as a symbol for Iraqi perseverance. The new Iraqi resistance seems more and more fueled by anger over Iraq’s military and political humiliation, with a strong religious undertone – to fight to the death against the Christian crusaders. That’s where the problem lies. Proof can easily be found in the resistance organizations themselves.



I’ve been following the international news for quite some time and was astounded how many news European magazines have had reporters tag along with the still emerging Iraqi resistance. Interestingly enough, many of the interviewed fighters didn’t think much of Saddam, nor were they connected to Bin Laden’s Al Qaeda gang. They fought for other objectives, such as religion, their families and liberation from western corruption and domination.



And as one German magazine recently reported, the emerging combat cells are well organized into 3-10 men teams. Three cells usually form a group. Each operating cell has its own weapons cache, while operational orders are issued in highly decentralized fashion. The bosses want to stay in the shadows.



When interviewed by a Western reporter, one of the group organizers mentioned a guerilla strength of up to 100,000 part-time bombers. Weapon supplies were quoted as between seven million Kalashnikovs, two million hand grenades and around 80-100,000 rocket-propelled grenades. That is a respectable arsenal for Ali Baba and his supposedly totally disorganized thieves!



It’s also noteworthy that many of the resistance fighters are former Fedayeen. Many of the black pajama dudes have learned their lessons not to fool with open warfare against America’s high-tech killing systems. They have recognized that in the city jungle, the assault rifle, the homemade bomb and the RPG are the great equalizers.



When asked about the main American weakness, one group leader pointed to intelligence. “We’re not talking on the phone and we’re communicating in Iraqi Arabic. Even Palestinians and Egyptians have a problem understanding us. Most American intercept experts have no clue.”



As to the resistance’s biggest weakness: It was money. Money to motivate the fighters and to feed their families – money is as important as ammunition. Money can be effectively used to gain information, as the elimination of many Saddam loyalists, including his sons, clearly proved.



So despite the wonderful hunting success, it isn’t time to let the guard down. It’s time to keep up the pressures while gradually giving the rebuilding an Iraqi and international face.



And we can’t forget about the grunts trying to do a similar job in Afghanistan, where bin Laden is still on the run. And while we celebrate politicians, generals and colonels for their brilliance on TV, don’t forget this: Even brilliant tactical plans are nothing but useless paper, if they aren’t executed by well-trained and dedicated troops. They are also the ones who mostly pay the price in precious life and blood.



Contributing Editor Lt. Col. (U.S. Army, ret.) Ralf W. Zimmermann is a decorated Desert Storm veteran and former tank battalion commander. Since his retirement, his columns have regularly appeared in Army Times and other publications. His recent novel, “Brotherhood of Iron,” deals with the German soldier in World War II. It is directly available from www.iUniverse.com and through most major book dealers. Zimm can be reached at r6zimm@earthlink.net or via his website at www.home.earthlink.net/~r6zimm.


http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=DefenseWatch.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=291&rnd=861.7921175821954


Sempers,

Roger
:marine: