(Los Angeles Times) Tracy Wilkinson - Most of the resistance in Iraq is home grown. The guerrillas are militants from the deposed regime, as well as ordinary Iraqis opposed to occupation. Added to this mix of Iraqis are the Islamic fundamentalists, especially Sunnis. Foreign fighters from Syria, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia have infiltrated in moderate numbers, working alongside some of the Iraqi groups. An alliance with Islamic extremists allows guerrillas to cast their fight in religious terms, which also helps to distance them from the discredited Hussein regime. The puritanical Wahhabi brand of Islam, for example, is especially anti-Western. Adherents believe that any non-Muslim who trespasses on Islamic land is an invader who must be repelled. Its members have also clashed with the Shiites for generations.
2003-09-03 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive