Iraqi militiants getting desperate

[bfp]

TIKRIT, Iraq (Reuters) - Killing an American may now be worth $5,000 to an Iraqi in Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s heartland -- a quadrupling of the bounty that the U.S. commander in the region said is a sign of desperation among guerrilla diehards.

"The word is the price has quadrupled for doing attacks on U.S. forces," Maj. Gen. Ray Odierno told a news conference on Thursday at his headquarters in Saddam's hometown, Tikrit.


Rates some weeks ago were about $250 for an attack and $1,000 for a "successful" one, he said: "We believe now that's gone to about $1,000 and $5,000, something in that area."


U.S. officers accuse middle-ranking members of Saddam's Baath party and Fedayeen militia movement of funding and arming young men to resist the American occupation of Iraq (news - web sites).


Odierno, commander of the 4th Infantry Division, said an aggressive U.S. policy toward these organizers was bearing fruit and fewer Iraqis were willing to take the risk of facing up to the Americans -- with a resulting rise in the price.


"I see these somewhat as desperate acts," he said.


He did not believe they were being coordinated by Saddam, who has a $25 million U.S. bounty on his head and who Odierno said was probably moving his hideout several times a day.


Across his task force's area of operations, taking in much of north central Iraq including the traditionally pro-Saddam "Sunni triangle" north of Baghdad, hundreds of people have been detained and many killed in raids over the past few weeks.


In the past day, 49 suspects were held, including a possibly senior fedayeen organizer in Tikrit itself and two associates of Saddam's late son Uday in Kirkuk, officers said. Two, possibly four, Iraqi guerrilla suspects were killed.


The man arrested in Tikrit overnight was seized in a raid that saw nearly 400 soldiers backed by Abrams battle tanks and helicopters seal off a city block and force more than three dozen men from their beds into the street, handcuffed.


Odierno said he was aware of the need to balance aggression against enemies with care not to alienate other local people.


"It's a fine balance," he said. "If there's a threat to our soldiers we'll go in heavily armed and a little bit heavier."


"We understand the importance of maintaining the cultural ways of life here," he said. "But if I err, I will always err on protecting my soldiers.


"It's important that we are offensive in nature so we preemptively deter attacks on our forces."


Asked whether he had concerns that his forces faced not just Saddam's loyalists but other anti-American groups, Odierno said: "We have had some intelligence reports that there could be some people that might be associated with al Qaeda trying to move into the region...We continue to watch that very closely."

[Adam D]

What I don't understand is the shock and dismay by people when the Iraqis resist occupation.

Generally, that's something people do.

[JonSlice]

Sure they're getting desperate. They're trying to defend their country from an invading force.