The San Francisco Chronicle March 25, 2003
Feared group does Hussein's dirty work;
Fedayeen are fanatical supporters of president
By Jonathan Curiel
In Arabic, their name means "those who sacrifice themselves for Saddam."
The Fedayeen Saddam do the dirty work in Iraq, according to experts who have studied the inner workings of the Saddam Hussein regime. If the regime decides to execute a dissident in public, it's the Fedayeen who usually knock on the victim's door and carry out the killing. If a group of Iraqis is suspected of being disloyal to Hussein, it's the Fedayeen who often "interview" them and exert whatever intimidation is necessary.
"They are a bunch of hooligans -- horrible people who are badly trained but can use a rifle, a hand grenade and probably a machine gun, if that's what is needed," said Amatzia Baram, an expert on Iraq who teaches at the University of Haifa in Israel. "They decapitate women in Iraq who are accused of being prostitutes," said Baram, a charge confirmed by globalsecurity.org and other respected organizations that study Iraq. "They're a bunch of murderers."
Experts estimate the Fedayeen to number between 20,000 and 60,000. They say the Fedayeen's involvement in the pockets of sometimes fierce resistance to U.S. troops in southern Iraq was to be expected. But their success has surprised and dismayed some analysts.
"They continue to maintain fear and show that Saddam Hussein is still in control," said Kenneth Pollack of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy in Washington. "Their presence prevents the Iraqi population from expressing any gratitude to the Americans that Saddam Hussein is gone."
Sometimes called the "black pajamas" -- for the black clothing they wear -- the Fedayeen are fanatical supporters of Hussein. They aren't an elite militia as much as a group of mostly young, uneducated men who are paid relatively handsomely (monthly salaries reportedly top $100) and get privileges that include free medical attention.
Hussein's older son Odai Hussein created the Fedayeen in 1995 as another layer of internal security surrounding Hussein. Along with the elite Special Republican Guard, the Fedayeen are picked mainly from in and around Hussein's hometown of Tikrit.
Before U.S.-led troops began the ground war in Iraq, Odai Hussein dispatched many Fedayeen to southern Iraq, their job to intimidate regular Iraqi troops from surrendering.
In a highly publicized incident on Sunday, Fedayeen members tricked U.S. support personnel who took a wrong road in southern Iraq by waving white flags and pretending to give up, only to shoot the unsuspecting soldiers.
Baram and other experts say the Fedayeen will probably play an even bigger role in Baghdad, where, Baram and other experts fear, they will meld in with Iraqi civilians, targeting coalition forces from residential homes and apartments.
"They believe they need to stick together and fight now, or they will eventually be killed by the families of their (previous) victims," Baram says.
By comparison, Hussein's other main protectors, the 20,000-strong Special Republican Guard, are better trained and have tanks, helicopters, sophisticated rockets and other firepower at their disposal. Their main job is to protect Hussein, whether it's guarding his palaces, escorting him on his travels or quashing rebellious troops.
"They are a serious military force -- the Fedayeen are not," says Baram.
Chronicle staff writer Edward Epstein contributed to this report / E-mail Jonathan Curiel at jcuriel@sfchronicle.com.
Copyright © 2003, The Chronicle Publishing Co
