They Look At You In Mild Surprise

Saudi fighters 'are leading the surge in attacks on British troops' By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent, and Max Benitz (Filed: 31/05/2006) Foreign terrorists, led by fighters from Saudi Arabia, are behind an upsurge in attacks against British troops in Basra, military sources said yesterday. [snip] The Saudi influence on terrorism in Shia-dominated Basra has not been previously reported but has caused concern among military commanders because of their training, technology and finance. Although the majority of Saudi Arabians are Sunni, the minority Shia have taken part in terrorist attacks. [snip] Commanders are concerned that Saudi and other foreign fighters are co-ordinating the attacks in a "consensual environment", in which the locals will not tell the military where roadside bombs have been planted. "The concern is that support for our presence is going down," a defence source said. There is also a strong belief, particularly among the Americans, that Iran is continuing to ferry bombs to Baghdad via Basra. Source: You can read the whole farago from the Daily Telegraph here. OK here goes and with apologies to Hilaire Beloc's ghost: "They look at you in mild surprise And offer other kinds of lies." markfromireland