Al-Sadr's militia

[Subversive Pessimist]

I don't know the whole history, but wasn't is Al-Sadr who "took over" the resistance? Is Al-Sadr's militia the only group fighting against the Americans (except Al Qaeda)?

Here is a picture of the militas. It looks like a AK-47 with a scope, almost like a SVD Dragunov. Plus, he is wearing a helmet, looks like protection for the head... Like a ski mask...

I wouldn't expect them to look like this, or have this kind of equipment. Maybe someone is funding them?

Has anybody made an estimate of how many they are? Do they hold any territory?

Thanks.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor.../bag10607161532 (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/040716/481/bag10607161532)

[LuZhiming]

Originally posted by Justice+Posted on Jul 17 2004, 09:55 AM--> (Justice @ Posted on Jul 17 2004, 09:55 AM)I don't know the whole history, but wasn't is Al-Sadr who "took over" the resistance? Is Al-Sadr's militia the only group fighting against the Americans (except Al Qaeda)? [/b]

There is no resistance in the form you are talking about. There are numerous groups and numerous gunmen, but there is not one united force. Unity barely exists in Iraq. Sadr must have a fairly stable force, but he's just one part of the resistance. Also, there is no evidence that Al Qaeda is fighting in Iraq.


Originally posted by [email protected] on Jul 17 2004, 09:55 AM
Here is a picture of the militas. It looks like a AK-47 with a scope, almost like a SVD Dragunov. Plus, he is wearing a helmet, looks like protection for the head... Like a ski mask...

I wouldn't expect them to look like this, or have this kind of equipment. Maybe someone is funding them?

It's unlikely that anyone is funding them. You can get weapons anywhere in the Middle East, they're literally everywhere. Anyone can smuggle them across the border, no matter what the neighbor is, Iran, Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, or in Iraq itself, there are weapons everywhere. There is nothing particularly surprising about gunmen having such equipment.


Originally posted by [email protected] on Jul 17 2004, 09:55 AM
Has anybody made an estimate of how many they are?

Not that I am aware of, at least no any serious estimate. We don't even have serious estimates on how big the whole "Iraqi resistance" is.


[email protected] on Jul 17 2004, 09:55 AM
Do they hold any territory?

Again, due to the chaos in Iraq, most journalists don't move much outside of Baghdad. Ramadi and Fallujah are practically autonomous areas, although I'm not sure exactly who, if anyone, controls the areas. There isn't much information on this though.

[Guerrilla22]

Justice, Newsweek ran a great story about the resistance in Iraq, including al-Sadr's militia, it also described in detail various other resistance groups, including al-Zaqawri's group. if you go to the library and search through recent back issues of Newsweek,I'm sure you can find it, I think the cover had al-Zaqawri on it.