The divisions of Saddam Hussein's army which were closest to him. They were the ones most feared when the U.S. went into Iraq in March, 2003. These 100,000 soldiers were considered the country's most loyal and capable force. They were not conscripts, but volunteers who were given perks which included new cars, housing, and bonuses.

A stable toxin easily made from the mash that remains after processing Castor beans. At one time, it was used as an oral laxative, castor oil, causes diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, internal bleeding, liver and kidney failure, and circulatory failure. There is no antidote. During World War II, Britain developed, but never used, a ricin bomb. In the past, ricin was linked to Al Qaeda and to Iraq. Seven men from north Africa were arrested in Great Britain after it was discovered in a raid.

Led by President Vladimir Putin supported the Northern Alliance but rejected a new American resolution on Iraq. This was a difficult pill to swallow for the U.S.

In October 2002, a group of 50 Muslim rebels, including Chechnyan widows, took more than 600 hostages in a Moscow theatre and demanded that Putin declare that the war in Chechnya was over and said that if that did not happen, they would begin executing hostages. Russian forces gassed the theater and took down the hostage-takers, but approximately 118 of the hostages died as a result. Russia refused to publicly state what the gas was, though it was speculated that it was some sort of opiate. The Russian press reported that the gas was based on fentanyl, a very potent opiate.