Allied forces on high alert over Saddam’s martyrs

ALLIED forces in southern Iraq were placed on high alert yesterday after reports that the Fedayeen, Saddam Hussein’s ultra-loyal brigade of martyrs is operating in the area.

As in other parts of the country, the level of resistance around the oilfields west of Basra has caught coalition forces by surprise, and is further complicated because the combatants are usually in civilian dress.

The problem has also been exacerbated by the fact that many of the younger soldiers have only experienced peacekeeping duties and are unfamiliar with the more brutal wartime rules of engagement.