The Daily Background

Let’s just keep things in perspective here with regard to violence in Iraq, and the causes of that violence. The Bush Administration has said that they are in Iraq to combat al Qaeda and, more recently, Iranian operatives within Iraq, such as those belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard forces.

Estimated number of foreign (i.e. al Qaeda, etc) fighters and operatives in Iraq: less than 1,000
Estimated number of Iranian operatives in Iraq: around 150*
Estimated number of Iraqis in Muqtada al-Sadr’s Shiite Mahdi Army: 40,000-50,000

*While the other two numbers are generally accepted in the intelligence community, this estimate is a relatively “new” one and proposed by those within the US Administration.

Filed under: Iraq Related, Z-TDB Blog