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To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (15781)	3/27/2003 8:00:28 PM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 89467

CIA warned irregular Iraqi forces could pose threat Iraqi tactics 'no surprise' From David Ensor CNN Thursday, March 27, 2003 Posted: 3:21 PM EST (2021 GMT) WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A classified CIA intelligence report widely distributed among Bush administration policy-makers and military leaders in February warned that irregular Iraqi forces could pose the greatest threat to U.S. and coalition forces, particularly to supply lines and rear units, U.S. officials say. The report, dated February 3, said Baath party militia and the so-called "Fedayeen Saddam" could be expected to use "hit and run" tactics against rear units. The report also said such units might fire on Iraqi civilians in order to tie down U.S. and British forces, according to U.S. officials. Other U.S. intelligence reports prior to the war also predicted, officials say, that Iraqi forces might fire on their own people in order to create scenes of civilian bloodshed suitable for propaganda use by the regime, which would blame the carnage on coalition forces. U.S. officials revealed the existence of the February report in response to questions about whether the tactics that have led to most of the American and British deaths and POWs to date were a surprise to U.S. intelligence officials and policy-makers. An official said the CIA report was "widely distributed to policy-makers and warfighters." "No surprise here," said a U.S. official. The Fedayeen Saddam are a group of paramilitary fighters in Iraq established to provide security for Saddam, but also known for torturing and murdering opponents to Saddam's regime. Known for their fierce loyalty to Saddam, the Pentagon estimates their strength at between 5,000 and 20,000. Many are from Saddam's hometown of Tikrit. The are well paid and known to receive special benefits denied other Iraqi military personnel. The force, created in 1995 by Saddam's son Uday Hussein to provide another security force close to Saddam, are sometimes called the "black pajamas" because of the black clothing they wear. Fake surrender On March 23, 2003, in southern Iraq a group of Fedayeen pretended to surrender to a U.S. support personnel group only to shoot some of the soldiers and take others hostage. Before ground war began, Fedayeen were sent to intimidate regular Iraqi troops in southern Iraq from surrendering. In a news briefing Thursday, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld blamed intimidation by the Fedayeen for the lack of evidence of Iraqis coming out in support of the American forces. Calling them "death squads" and "enforcers," Rumsfeld recounted the story of a recent incident in which they left someone in the center of Baghdad with his tongue cut out and left him to bleed to death. He also said they were carrying out executions in Basra. cnn.com