Guide to the Insurgents
The fighters wreaking havoc against the U.S. in Iraq fall into several camps, some of which coordinate their actions

PAULA BRONSTEIN / GETTY IMAGES  
INVOLVEMENT: U.S. authorities believe foreign fighters were behind the Oct. 28 suicide attacks in Baghdad that killed 35 and wounded 230
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LEADERS
Imams around the Middle East who, in their mosques, preach jihad against the American occupation

WHO THEY ARE
Young Arab men from countries like Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen who are infused with Islamist fervor. They smuggle themselves into Iraq to fight "infidel" U.S. forces. Many come on their own, without ties to any known organization

CONNECTIONS AND TACTICS
It's unclear how many foreign fighters are in Iraq. Some experts estimate the number at several hundred, while others talk of thousands. Generally, the fighters have little or no military training, and so far their connections to Iraq's organized-resistance groups seem thin. The locals, it appears, are not sure they want foreign help. Although the presence of foreigners is troubling, their numbers are not large enough to pose a serious threat

NEXT: Regime Loyalists
FROM THE DECEMBER 15, 2003 ISSUE OF TIME MAGAZINE; POSTED SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2003

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