Militants in Iraq Come From Allies; 41% From Saudi Arabia

As if you needed any more proof that you shouldn't believe much of anything the U.S. government says about Iran, there now appears to be evidence that the suspected insurgents in Iraq actually come from 'strategic' allies in the region, and not from Iran. As the pro-war establishment here continues to spread lies in their rhetoric for a strike on Iran, the American media chooses to ignore these kind of findings, because in this case the findings make Iran look quite good compared to what they would like you to think.

Around 60% of all foreign militants who entered Iraq to fight over the past year came from Saudi Arabia and Libya, according to files seized by American forces at a desert camp.

The files listed the nationalities and biographical details of more than 700 fighters who crossed into Iraq from August last year, around half of whom came to the country to be suicide bombers, the New York Times reported today.

In all, 305, or 41%, of the fighters listed were from Saudi Arabia. Another 137, or 18%, came from Libya. Both countries are officially US allies in anti-terrorism efforts.

In contrast, 56 Syrians were listed and no Lebanese. Previously, US officials estimated that around a fifth of all foreign fighters in Iraq came from these two countries.

US officials have also long complained about Iranian interference in the affairs of its neighbour, accusing Tehran of shipping weapons for militants over the border. However, any assistance does not appear to extend to people, the paper said, reporting that, of around 25,000 suspected militants in US custody in Iraq, 11 were Iranian. No Iranians were listed among the fighters whose details were found.