Rose+M

Do you know what the Iraqi insurgency is? Do you know what motivates the Iraqi insurgency? I did not know anything about the war in Iraq and when we were told we could pick our own topic, I knew exactly what to choose. Whenever I turn on the news and they are talking about the war in Iraq, all I ever hear is insurgents or insurgency. I always heard so much about it but I never knew what it was. Iraqi Insurgents are an a group of Iraqis against the U.S. led coalation that is now in Iraq and they use illegal means to achieve their goals. Now I want to know what their motivation is and what are their tactics. You will be surprised at what lengths insurgents go and what exactly motivates them. ** Experts claim that most of the insurgent’s activities are being funded by drug trafficking (Feickert 23). Insurgents are also hijacking tanks carrying oil. They will also manipulate the gasoline pumps so the money will be forwarded to them. They will steal profits from soda and cement factories, and they will even go as far as kidnapping for ransom. They have also been known to extort five to twenty percent of businessmen’s money from the government. Studies show that a good sum of the outside of Iraq and this flow of money does not seem to be slowing down. Experts have shown that at least $200 million dollars a year can be attributed to oil smuggling. Illegal funding in Iraq does not seem to be slowing down and some experts say at the rate the insurgency is making money, they will never die down (Pike 3). Insurgents are able to adapt well to what they are given. They are able to make many makeshift weapons, such as bombs by building them from fertilizer and cocoa. Even though they may be unable to claim territory easily and their mobility is limited, they are well equipped and they have a great deal of money. They are able to fight for hours with rocket propelled grenades and light machine guns (Gordon 3). They will also use [|roadside explosives] to catch the U.S. forces off guard. Other tactics the Iraqi insurgents will use are suicide bombs. The suicide bombers themselves will prepare for months before their suicide mission. They do not know when they will be called out for their mission. They will wait until they are called to their mission and they will rehearse their final prayer. In the final prayer, they will ask that their soul is purified and the most important thing they ask for is that they kill many Americans. Insurgents will actually volunteer to be on the “waiting list” for a suicide mission. It can be months before they can go out on a suicide mission. All they have to do is wait, and when it is all over, they are seen as heroes to their families and friends (Ghosh 1). With all the [|suicide missions] taking place, the Iraqi insurgency is always looking for new insurgents. There is a recruitment process that they have to go through to become an insurgent. The three step process entails an initiation of contact at a mosque after prayer. After this first meeting, a later meeting is organized. After the second round, some people are eliminated. This leaves the remaining people who will go on to train at camp. These potential insurgents are instructed to cut off all ties with friends, family, and all outsiders (Pike 3). Now having learned about the Iraqi insurgency, I feel comfortable talking about the war and not feeling uneducated. Learning about the tactics of the Iraqi insurgency has really opened my eyes to what is going on in Iraq. I loved learning about the insurgency since I had no idea what they were when I first started this project. Everything I learned was new to me and I was surprised every time I found a fact. Everything seemed so interesting to me. This was a great learning experience and I really appreciate the opportunity. The motivations and the tactics of the Iraqi insurgency really did impress me. This was a learning experience that I do not think that I will have again in a long while. Works Cited Feickert, Andrew. “U.S. Military operations in the global war on terrorism: Afghanistan, Africa, the Philippines and Colombia.” __Galenet__ __Student__ __Resource__ __Center__. August 2005. 30 April 2008 < http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/retrieve.do?subjectParam=Locale%2528en%252C%252C%2529%253AFQE%253D%2528su%252CNone%252C10%2529insurgents%2524&contentSet=IAC-Documents&sort=Relevance&tabID=T001&sgCurrentPosition=0&subjectAction=DISPLAY_SUBJECTS&prodId=SRC-1&searchId=R1&currentPosition=1&userGroupName=cinc67292&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&sgHitCountType=None&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28ke%2CNone%2C10%29insurgents%24&inPS=true&searchType=BasicSearchForm&displaySubject=&docId=A158683475&docType=IAC > Pike, John. “Iraqi Insurgency Groups.” __Global security__. 8 August 2005. 30 April 2008. < [|http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_insurgency.htm> Gordon, Michael. “Iraq’s Insurgency Runs on Stolen Oil Profits.” __New York Times__. 16 March 2008. 2 May 2008. < http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/16/world/middleeast/16insurgent.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2 > Beehner, Lionel. “Iraq: Insurgency Goals.” __Council on Foreign Relations__. 20 May 2005. 2 May 2008. http://www.cfr.org/publication.html?id=8117 Ghosh, Aparisim. “Inside the Mind of an Iraqi Suicide Bomber.” __Information Clearing House__. 28 June 2005. 2 May 2008. < [|http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article9327.htm> “Mujahhideen IED Vehicle in Iraq.” __Youtube__. 4 August 2007. 5 May 2008. < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-hNe5HSUAU > “Suicide Bomber Kills 15 People.” 5 May 2008. < [|http://www.adblogarabia.com/wp-content/IraqBombingAd.jpg>
 * Rose **
 * Motivations of the Insugency
 * Iraqi insurgents have different reasons for doing what they do. They are all motivated for different reasons. Nationalism continues to be the most driving force for the Iraqi insurgents. After the fall of Saddam Hussein, some of these insurgents were fired from their government jobs but they do not favor a return to Saddam’s secular form of Arab socialism. Most of the insurgents are Sunnis who do not want a Shiite government, and they want the U.S. military out of Iraq as soon as possible(Beehner 5). A popular motivation for most insurgents is to get a paycheck. Almost all of the Iraqis are out of a job and they do not have any money to support their families. It is reported that insurgents can be hired to hide roadside bombs for one hundred dollars(Gordon 3). Killing an American can be worth upwards of one thousand dollars(Beehner 5). All of the insurgents are tied together by their want to disturb the U.S. forces and drive them out of Iraq. **
 * Some of these insurgents are just so fed up with the U.S. forces that the only reason they join the insurgency is to get rid of the U.S. forces. The insurgents claim the U.S. forces are doing nothing to help them or the government. Most of Iraq is still without running water, electicity, and most important, security(Beehner 5). **
 * Some of the middle eastern countries neighboring Iraq are thinking for them. Many experts say theses middle estern countries do not want democracy next to them. They do not want to see the U.S. having its way by remaking Iraq and the Middle East to their liking(Feickert 27). Once democracy is established in one country, it could spread to others like a cancer, and the middle eastern countries do not want that. **