Fanatical fighters kill Allied hope of fast, easy victory

Iraqi soldiers and fanatical militiamen are using classic guerrilla tactics – sniping, attacking supply lines and harrying the flanks of advancing troops – to disrupt the efforts of British and US forces to secure southern Iraq, and embarrass Allied commanders who predicted a swift, easy victory.

The spearhead of Allied forces continues to advance on Baghdad, but efforts to stabilise and make safe the south of the country have so far failed. Four days after the US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, said US forces had taken control of Umm Qasr, last night snipers were still targeting Allied forces, and the port remained closed to ships carrying humanitarian supplies and aid.

In towns such as Basra and Nasiriyah and at the Rumaila oilfields, Iraqi fighters were harrying Allied forces after areas declared safe suddenly turned treacherous.

The Desert Rats at one point had Basra surrounded, but some of the 7th Armoured Brigade, including the Challenger 2 tanks of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, pulled away from the southern city under fierce mortar fire.

Yesterday in Umm Qasr Allied commanders deployed Royal Marines from 42 Commando, hoping their experience in Northern Ireland's urban warfare would help to overcome the final pockets of resistance. US Marine Captain Rick Crevier said 100 Iraqi fighters were holding out in the port, a mile from the border.

Exactly who has been hampering the Allied forces is not clear. Initial predictions suggested that Umm Qasr, Basra and much of the south would be largely undefended, with only the poorly equipped Iraqi regular army positioned there. But as the resistance has continued – one battle close to Najaf raged for seven hours – commanders have been suggesting that President Saddam Hussein has deployed other elements. At first they thought Special Republican Guards had been sent to strengthen the army, but it now seems Fedayeen militia have been deployed south to surprise the approaching forces. Reports saying Islamist mujahedin fighters have been engaging Allied forces have not been confirmed.

But US commanders have reported several instances where Fedayeen militia, controlled by President Saddam's son Uday, have surprised their troops, in some cases targeting supply lines. They believe thousands of Fedayeen fighters are now in southern Iraq. They have been responsible for the worst US casualties so far, their fervour and readiness to fight catching the Americans by surprise.

Lieutenant-General William Wallace, commander of the US forces driving to Baghdad, said he had expected to encounter the militia in the cities but had not anticipated they would come out to meet his troops on the open battlefield.

Intelligence reports suggest that four suicide squads have been sent south to target Royal Marines. Yesterday morning, 3 Commando Brigade immediately stepped up their official threat level. The situation in the south has been made more dangerous by the presence of Baath Party officials, or security officers, initially deployed with regular army units but taking up arms after some regular army units surrendered.

The guerrilla tactics being used in the south are a sign of the way in which this Gulf War is in effect becoming two campaigns. While there appears little doubt that in the broader sense the US and British forces are winning militarily, the Iraqis have been surprisingly successful in disrupting wider Allied plans.

Even the circumstances of some Allied successes have turned out to be different than was initially thought. Yesterday it was reported that the "general" controlling the Iraqi 51st Infantry Division – large portions of which surrendered last week – turned out to be a junior officer posing as someone more senior so he could secure better treatment.

It is also becoming clear that ordinary Iraqi civilians have not shown British and US forces the enthusiastic welcome some planners predicted. "Last time [in Kuwait] everyone was happy to see us," a US Marine said. "We were liberating the country. So we did it, we won, everyone was happy and we went home. But when you're at war in someone's homeland, it's a different story."

By this stage of the campaign, planners believed the Umm Qasr port would be up and running, providing a landing point for aid organisations and non-government organisations to bring in food and medicine. It was also to have been the entry point for military supplies.

Instead, much of the town remains a no-go area. "Don't go to the residential area," one British marine warned. "That's where the bad guys are."

The problems being encountered by the US and British also raises questions about the Allied tactics, including the relatively slim size of their 130,000-strong force. Some analysts, as well as soldiers in the field, have suggested that while the thrust of forces to Baghdad was continuing to plan, there were insufficient troops behind them to secure the supply lines and deal with prisoners of war.

As a result, it is often troops from the logistics units – usually travelling in soft-skinned vehicles – who have been the targets of the Iraqi snipers.

Another British marine said of the situation in Umm Qasr: "We were lulled into a false sense of security. It's now clear the area was not properly searched. They let too many non-fighting forces through too quickly after the US assured us they had secured the road and the surrounding area the supply teams were moving into."

Who's who in Saddam's elite

Saddam Hussein has about a dozen intelligence and security services at his disposal which together with the armed forces and paramilitary units total nearly 1.3 million – in a population of 23 million.

The Special Republican Guard (SRG; al-Haras al-Jumhuri al-Khas)

The Special Republican Guard, commanded by President Saddam's younger son, Qusay, is responsible for defending Baghdad. It consists of four brigades with a total of up to 30,000 troops mostly drawn from President Saddam's home town of Tikrit and its outlying villages. The Special Republican Guard is heavily armed with its own artillery and armoured fighting vehicles, giving it the firepower to deal with a civilian uprising or a coup attempt by military units, such as the Republican Guard.

Despite the US bombardment, its command and control remains intact, according to American officials in Qatar. It is one of three rings of security around President Saddam.

Fedayeen Saddam (Arabic for fighters for Saddam who will sacrifice themselves)

Commanded by Uday Hussein, the Fedayeen was founded in 1994. In original form, the Fedayeen was "a cross between a goon squad and a kamikaze brigade". When a coup plot was uncovered in 1996 in the Republican Guard and the Special Republican Guard (both under the command of Qusay Hussein) the Fedayeen were suddenly favoured with resources. The force, which wears black uniforms or civilian clothes, was expanded to as many as 100,000 men, recruitment became selective and its training more professional.Over the past few days militia columns said to be Fedayeen have taken US and British forces by surprise by attacking outside the main towns.

The Companions (Murafiqin) and the Bodyguards, aka the Presidential Guard (al-Himaya)

The Companions are 40 personal bodyguards from President Saddam's Bayjat clan. They are run by Abid Hamid Humud, commonly known as the third most powerful man in the country after President Saddam and Qusay Hussein. Before the US bombing, the Presidential Guard, above, consisted of about 2,000 members of President Saddam's al-Bu Nasir tribe and consists of three groups responsible for his movements, palace security and those with intimate access to President Saddam, including his food taster, cook and swimming companions.

Leonard Doyle