Evidence shows the gunmen slain in a firefight with U.S. troops had ties to religious militants, the military says. Three gunmen killed in a fierce firefight with American troops in northern Iraq on Monday were suspected of having belonged to a radical Islamist group with possible links to Al Qaeda, the U.S. military said. If the suspicions are borne out, it would be a fresh reminder that elements loyal to the toppled regime of Saddam Hussein are not the only forces confronting U.S. troops in Iraq. Guerrilla opposition to the American-led occupation is believed to be orchestrated primarily by the remnants of forces with allegiance to Hussein and his Baath Party, most of them Sunni Muslims with tribal links to the former leader. However, the group implicated by U.S. military officials, Ansar al Islam, is a fundamentalist Taliban-style organization with roots in the Kurdish north whose ranks, though relatively small, are believed to include fighters from other Muslim nations. Full Story
About OODA Analyst
OODA is comprised of a unique team of international experts capable of providing advanced intelligence and analysis, strategy and planning support, risk and threat management, training, decision support, crisis response, and security services to global corporations and governments.