Fedayeen Saddam

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= Fedayeen Saddam"'
فدائيي صدام


caption=
dates=1995-2003
country= Iraq
branch= paramilitary
type=
role=
size= 18,000
command_structure=
garrison=
garrison_label=
nickname=
patron=
equipment=
equipment_label=
battles=
decorations=
battle_honours=
commander2=Qusay Hussein
commander2_label=Last Commander
commander1=Uday Hussein
commander1_label=Founder
disbanded = 2003

Fedayeen Saddam (فدائيي صدام) was a paramilitary organization loyal to the former Ba'athist government of Saddam Hussein. The name was chosen to mean "Saddam's Men of Sacrifice". At its height, the group had 30,000-40,000 members.

Irregular forces

The Fidayeen Saddam was not part of Iraq's regular armed forces but rather operated as a paramilitary unit of irregular forces. The Fidayeen reported directly to the Presidential Palace, rather than through the military chain of command. The Fedayeen were not an elite military force, often having been poorly trained and without heavy weapons.

The Fidayeen were among the most loyal organizations to the government of Saddam Hussein and were a politically reliable force against domestic opponents. The Fidayeen conducted widespread campaigns of assassination and intimidations, as well as organized smuggling and other illegal efforts along Iraq's borders.

The Fidayeen has been reported to operate a death squad that conducted extra-judicial killings.Fact|date=June 2007 The Fidayeen were widely reported to have conducted an alleged anti-prostitution campaign in which more than 200 women were beheaded.Fact|date=June 2007

History

Early years

Uday Hussein formed the Fedayeen Saddam in 1995 with ten to fifteen thousand recruits, typically young men living in central Iraq, the regions most loyal to the Ba'ath Party.Fact|date=February 2007 Uday used the Fedayeen for personal reasons such as smuggling and suppressing opponents. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/cfr/international/backgroundiraq2032503.html Q&A: What is the Fedayeen Saddam?] , New York Times] Command of the militia was handed to Qusay Hussein in 1996 when it was uncovered that Uday was diverting weapons to the militia from the Iraqi Republican Guard.

Before Saddam was removed from power, the force was placed back under Uday's control. In 1998 the "Ashbal Saddam" (Saddam's Lion Cubs) was created to recruit and train young children for membership in the Fedayeen. The Ashbal recruited boys aged 10 to 15 for training in small arms and infantry tactics as well as loyalty conditioning.

2003 invasion of Iraq

The Fedayeen Saddam did not rise to major international attention, however, until the 2003 invasion of Iraq by U.S.-led coalition forces. Whereas the Iraqi forces and the Republican Guard quickly collapsed, Fedayeen forces put up stiff and determined resistance to the coalition invasion. U.S. strategy was to bypass other cities and head straight to Baghdad. In response, Fedayeen fighters entrenched themselves in the cities and launched guerilla-style strikes on rear supply convoys attempting to sustain the rapid advance. The Fedayeen also used intimidation to strengthen the resolve of the Iraqi army and keep civilians from rebelling. The multinational coalition was forced to turn its attention to the slow task of rooting out irregular forces from the southern cities, delaying the advance by two weeks.

During the invasion, Fedayeen fighters wielded AK-47 assault rifles, rocket propelled grenades, machine guns, and truck-mounted artillery and mortars. They made extensive use of subterfuge in an attempt to blunt the overwhelming technological advantage enjoyed by the invading forces. The irregular fighters often wore civilian clothes to confuse coalition forces, and falsely surrendered as a pretext for ambushing advancing multinational soldiers, among other incidents.

By the end of the first week of April, Coalition forces had mostly succeeded in rooting out Fedayeen forces from the southern cities. The Shiite population was very unsupportive of the fighters, although many were intimidated. This factor, coupled with overwhelming firepower, quickly gave U.S. forces in the area a decisive edge. This reduced the pressure on the stretched supply lines, enabling the advance to continue. On April 9, Baghdad fell to American forces with only sporadic resistance by Fedayeen irregulars, foreign volunteers, and remnants of the Special Republican Guard, effectively ending the government of Saddam Hussein. Tikrit, the last city to fall, was taken on April 15.

Iraqi insurgency

The fall of Baghdad effectively ended the existence of the Fedayeen Saddam as an organized paramilitary. Some of its members died during the war. A large number survived, however, and were willing to carry on the fight even after the fall of Saddam Hussein from power. Many former members joined guerilla organizations, collectively known as the Iraqi insurgency that began to form to resist the U.S-led occupation. By June, an insurgency was clearly underway in central and northern Iraq, especially in the area known as the Sunni Triangle. Some units of the Fedayeen also continued to operate independently of other insurgent organizations in the Sunni areas of Iraq. On November 30, 2003, a U.S. convoy traveling through the town of Samarra in the Sunni Triangle was ambushed by over 100 Iraqi guerillas, reportedly wearing trademark Fedayeen Saddam uniforms. Exactly how much influence they have in the resistance, especially following Saddam Hussein's capture on December 13, 2003, is a source of controversy.

ee also

* Human rights violations in Iraq
* Iraqi Popular Army

References

External links

* [http://www.fas.org/irp/world/iraq/fedayeen/ Federation of American Scientists] on the Fedayeen Saddam
* [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/03/26/60II/main546259.shtml Saddam's Enforcers] , Dan Rather, CBS's 60 Minutes
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A19574-2003Mar24?language=printer Fedayeen Enforces Loyalty Among Iraq Army] Washington Post, March 24, 2003