Article says forces from Syria & Egypt defending Baghdad

["Steven" <mailinglist@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Near Baghdad, U.S. troops encounter a 'remarkable' foe
'Jihad' forces from Syria, Egypt, Marine officers say

By John Murphy
Sun Foreign Staff
Originally published April 5, 2003

AL MUHAYDI AS SALIH, Iraq - It was early morning, and the blue skies
over this farming community less than 20 miles south of Baghdad turned
black and hazy with the smoke of burning oil.

It was also the beginning of one of the longest, hardest days to date
for members of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines. Before it was over, one
Marine was killed in action by a sniper and at least two others were
injured.

An M-1 Abrams tank - considered the safest ride in Iraqi because so
little could destroy it - was left smoldering on the highway, its
ammunition shooting and spraying like a fireworks show. Dozens of enemy
fighters lay dead in a farmer's field, and dozens more were captured.

The Marines were not battling the Iraqi army or Saddam Hussein's elite
Republican Guard, but a group of well-trained fighters from Syria, Egypt
and perhaps other countries, Marine officers said.

They were an enemy who fought with more will than any other fighters the
Marines have encountered so far.

The "jihad" fighters, as Marines dubbed them yesterday, wore civilian
clothes or full-length black robes. They were equipped with brand new
ammunition and some of the best sniper rifles and armaments money can
buy. They set pools of oil on fire, masking the skies with eye-stinging
black smoke.

More than anything, however, they showed determination as fighters.

"They wouldn't give up," said Capt. Ethan Bishop, commander of India
Company, which lost one of its Marines in a firefight yesterday. "It was
a tough fight, and they are still out there." The Marine was shot in the
abdomen by a sniper while trying to clear the enemy from an open field
outside this town.

The Marines appeared a little stunned by the resistance.

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