ABCNEWS reports that INC leader Ahmad Chalabi has been flown into southern Iraq along with 1,000 of his troops:
April 5 — The United States military has begun to airlift Iraqi opposition fighters into southern Iraq, ABC News has learned. It is the first major step towards establishing a physical Iraqi presence on the side of the coalition push against the regime of Saddam Hussein.
The airlift, which began Friday night, will put about 1,000 Iraqi opposition forces into a base in southern Iraq controlled by coalition forces.
The force is under the control of the Iraqi National Congress and its leader Ahmed Chalabi, who will accompany his troops into Iraq.The opposition forces will also attempt to help set up liason relationships between U.S.-led forces and the Shiite leadership in southern Iraq, help coalition forces clear out remaining paramilitary forces and restore security.
This is significant for a couple of reasons: it will solidify the Iraqi resistance already present in Iraq and it will give Chalabi a leg up in taking a major role in the new regime, which will reportedly come on-line Tuesday. With Saddam’s loyalists dropping like flies in suicidal actions, the only real fight for control of Iraq pits the Pentagon and the White House against the State Department and the CIA.