More foreign fighters slipping back into Iraq

Al Qaeda stated their number one goal was conquest of an Arab nation. They failed as long as Bush was in the White House. But with Obama they know they have a chance...

Where is the outrage on this invasion!!??

Intelligence officials say foreign fighters have been slipping back into Iraq in larger numbers recently...

Does that include the US troops still present there, and the "private contractors".

How do they know they are foreign fighters? Do they wear arm bands or something?

How do they know they are foreign fighters? Do they wear arm bands or something?

The same way you know where English speakers from beyond your borders are from - they have accents.

Before idiot Bush messed up Iraq, there were no foreign fighters under Saddam Hussein, not thanks to this idiot Bush, we messed up a country that never did anything evil to the USA, was CIA backed in the war against Iraq, now after so many years of lies, deaths and Republicans like Bush and Cheney getting filthy rich selling $500 pizzas to the US army etc..we should never be surprised what evil, greed rich bastards are capable of doing. Mr.Obama is just trying to get our men and women out of this hell hole. If I were an Iranian, I would also be sending in troops, spies etc..just to make sure Iraq did not become too anti Iran etc..after all THEY ARE NEIGHBORS, not like us far off in Japan or mainland USA etc..

Before idiot Bush messed up Iraq, there were no foreign fighters under Saddam Hussein

100% wrong. There was the PMOI (The People's Mojahedin of Iran) who were given their own town (Ashraf) and were listed as a terrorist organization.

I think elbud's point is that, evil as he was, Saddam was iron-handed enough to keep all the other factions in the country somewhat under control. Taking him out of the driver's seat saw everyone and their dog reaching for their AKs. The country went from stable (though oppressed), to a mess where it seems anyone who wants to be crazy and violent will go to blow stuff up and/or get killed. Pity about the locals who can't get out of the way.

Great painting of Iraq under Saddam above. But...

Lest we forget. Saddam saw himself on a white horse as up-and-coming leader of the Arabs. Negotiating with the DPRK for a supply of nukes, and building long-range missiles and artillery, he was angling to be top dog in the Middle East. You could never get him to give a straight answer. There was a lot of fear in neighboring countries as to what he was thinking up next. His anti-US rhetoric had become vitriolic. He had already invaded Kuwait once.

Now the fighters are streaming back in. This is a Muslim-on-Muslim agenda and the US and associated countries may be well out of it. You've done your best for the region, but the rest is up to the locals to sort out. If this is going to be a testing ground, the US might get seriously burnt.

Up and coming when exactly Amanda?

Saddam may well have dreamed of taking over from Skeletor, trouncing He Man and becoming Master of the Universe. It doesn't mean it was going to happen and it's a laughable excuse for the mountains of cadavers and un-certainty that Iraq has been left with.

We keep getting told things will eventually improve. A nice, easy opene-ended date for "sucess".

When? In his dreams.

Almost everyone in the region wanted him taken out. Just so that we do not forget that.

America had the huge war footing temporarily available in Afghanistan and all they needed to do was to convince their populace and bend a few principles in order to get back into Iraq and finish what Bush Sr didn't. They were probably tired of enforcing sanctions and no-fly zones.

I do not think things in Iraq will improve. Not yet. I am afraid there will be another upheaval first, especially since the withdrawal was announced. The Sunnis elected out of the democratic process with their feet. They don't want a Shiite Muslim state there. They want a Sunni state, by force. As a result of that struggle, then maybe things will start to form a new shape.