Laurie was kind enough to send me a heads up about her latest, very interesting, must read.
Origins of the Iraqi Insurgency
By Laurie Mylroie, with Ayad Rahim
Published 4/28/2006 12:09:26 AM
Among the Iraqi documents released to the public, at least five deal with the construction of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). One such document (CMPC-2003-005914) is a ten-page worksheet.* The first two pages are entitled, "Annual Plan for the Mechanical Workshop, Sheen-27 -- 1999"; the last eight are entitled "First Season Report of the Sheen-27 Work Plan for 1999." The report of the CIA's Iraq Survey Group explains that "Sheen-27" was a section of the Iraqi Intelligence Service (IIS) responsible for producing explosives. It had a Chemistry Department, which "developed the explosive materials for the device," an Electronics Department, "which prepared the timers and wiring of the IED," and a Mechanical Department, which "produced the igniters and designed the IED."
Update: I would like to add to this discussion. I recently spoke to a person involved with tracking down the insurgents in Baghdad. I asked this analyst what his view was on the relationship between former Baathists and the insurgency. He told me he believed that former regime officials were still deeply involved in the insurgency and Jihadists attacks. He said that he had tried repeatedly to make this case to other experts involved but found no acceptance for his theory. Eventually, they listened and within days rounded up some note-able Al Qaeda in Iraq leaders. They did this by following the possible links between Saddam Regime leaders to the terrorists. His view is that this is indicative of a relationship between the regime and terrorists prior to the war. Unfortunately, I can not share anymore about my source. Those who deny all links between Saddam and terrorism won't care if Saddam himself admitted it, so I can only hope the people who are open to the truth find this information useful.
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