IRAQI RESISTANCE: SAMARRA

Independent: A bloody victory or dangerous fantasy? The true story of the battle of Samarra

Nearly a week has elapsed since the American military issued the
startling claim - puzzling even some within its own ranks - that its troops
killed 54 guerrillas during running gunfights in the Sunni town of Samarra.
Official versions described how dozens of Fedayeen guerrillas wearing
red or black chequered headscarves and dark shirts and trousers attacked
troops in the bloodiest engagement since the US-led occupation of Iraq last
April - and lost.

Repeated visits to the scene, interviews with Iraqi civilians and US
soldiers, and close inspection of the battle damage by scores of
correspondents have failed to eliminate several troubling and crucial
questions. Where are the bodies? Did they exist? Or was this death toll
- as some suspect - a fabrication which was intended to generate positive
headlines for the US, after a disastrous weekend in which guerrilla
attacks killed 14 foreigners, including seven Spanish intelligence officers?