'Iraq Will Become A Quagmire For The Americans. Our Troops Will Not Surrender'

Independent (UK) ^ | 3-24-2003 | Robert Fisk

[blam]

'Iraq will become a quagmire for the Americans. Our troops will not surrender'

24 March 2003

Iraq stunned the Americans and British last night by broadcasting video tape of captured and dead American troops – the nightmare of both George Bush and Tony Blair.

The body of one American soldier was seen with a great red gash on his neck, while five US prisoners appeared on screen. One, a black female soldier, had been wounded, while a male serviceman said he had been "only following orders".

The film will increase internal support for Saddam Hussein, because it will be regarded as proof that the American-British force will be beaten.

All day, Baghdad felt like Kuwait in 1991 after the Iraqis had set fire to the oil wells. The oil-filled trenches torched by the Iraqi army around Baghdad on Saturday are ablaze. And regardless of whether they really hinder the incoming American cruise missiles, they have placed this city under a sinister, dark canopy. The skyline is black, the sky grey. Only by looking directly upwards can you catch sight of the sun. The Tigris moves sluggishly under a dun-coloured mist. If the people of Baghdad could pretend, a few days ago, that the war did not exist, yesterday they were living in its shadow.

All day, you could hear the explosions. An echoing blast from the suburbs, the sound of jets and then another explosion and then – because war is like this – the gentle roar of traffic and the sight of a red double-decker bus making its routine journey across the river bridge to Qadamiya.

To grasp the realities – at least the strategic realities according to the Iraqis – you had to venture down to the villa where General Hazim al-Rawi of the Iraqi army was giving his morning press briefing, à la General Tommy Franks. In fact, General Rawi is promising us more press briefings than the US commander, a practice that will presumably continue until General Franks takes the surrender of General Rawi or – less likely perhaps – until General Rawi takes the surrender of General Franks.

"Iraq will become a quagmire for the Americans ... It is not true what your agencies have been saying that thousands of troops had surrendered."

Thus did the Iraqi general try to rubbish the BBC's reports on Saturday of the taking of up to 6,000 prisoners from the Iraqi 51st Division. Then there came a familiar part of every Arab war: the claims of planes shot down.

"Our brave and heroic forces have shot down up to five fighters and two helicopters. One fighter was shot down near Baghdad, another near Mosul, a third at Akhtar Rashid, a fourth in the Taji district, another in Basra. A helicopter was shot down at Mosul, another in the Samara area." As reporters like to say, there was no "independent confirmation" of these claims.

The Iraqi Information Minister was full of scorn for the war. "They call it shock and awe," Mohamed Said al-Sahaff declared. "It seems it is they who are suffering from shock and awe." There followed a long statement from the Vice-President, Taha Yassin Ramadan, much of which included a demand for the support of the "Arab masses". There was cocky stuff, too, for the claims of Anglo-American advances on the ground from Mr Ramadan. "They say they ... have covered 160 or 180km. I would like to tell them to go 300km. But if they have any contact with any town or village, they will face the same fate as they are now facing at Umm Qasr. You will see on the television the destruction of their tanks."

Mr Ramadan said the Americans would be welcome to try to come to Baghdad, because they would meet a similar fate. Last night's film will be taken by Iraqis to support his contention.

[Reagan Man]

Bold talk when you're 200 feet below ground.

Enjoy it you bastards, it won't last long.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

'Iraq will become a quagmire for the Americans.

Quagmires come earlier and earlier these days.

They used to come after a year or so. In Afghanistan they arrived in about a month. Now they show up after just four days.

[Prince Charles]

"until General Rawi takes the surrender of General Franks."

Fisk really should stop chewing so much qat. His mind is gone.

[Dutchgirl]

quagmire is the favorite word of the left. ..let them get it out of their system...afganistan was supposed to be a quagmire...grenada, panama, kosovo...all quagmires...

[Jewels1091]

Quagmire

Good grief, in Afganistan they at least waited 1 couple of weeks to use that word, now it's 4 or 5 days.

[Minty]

Good, now all of them can be killed. Let leave none alive. We must not forget what they did today to our boys. They must pay . This must be answered in such a way that thugs must think it twice before pulling a number like this against our forces.

One thing is to fight with honor and another what they have done.

[aruanan]

'Iraq Will Become A Quagmire For The Americans. Our Troops Will Not Surrender'

Then your troops will die.

[wretchard]

From a strictly military point of view, the war is already over. Iraq has lost its principal oil cities, Basra, Kirkuk and Mosul. It is cut in half at Nasiriyah. If the US forces stayed in place right now and installed an alternative government in Basra, the Saddam regime would have no power to prevent it.

Unfortunately, the final and stupid last chapter of this fight must be played out, for the vanity of Saddam to be satisfied.

[TADSLOS]

You know, at first thought, I'd love to find these SOBs alive hunkered down in some bunker in Baghdad, then force them to witness the death and destruction caused by their own hands, but they have no conscience, so shame and regret would never register. They should be left to the mercy of those Iraqis who have suffered under their brutality. Let them do the slow Mussolini Swing under a hot Baghdad sun.

[Gotterdammerung]

So, once we reach Gaghdad, what then? Will we go into the city? We dare not. Will we level the city with bombs? How will we know that Gaghdad has fallen unless we level the city? I don't think we'll meet resistance outside the city for I think they lay a trap within. And how about our concern for civilians, is this anyway to conduct a war???? I think daisy cutters and MOABS would need to be used. Also, these people are still in medieval times and use torture. God help any who may be captured.

[Alissa]

Iraqi boasting is very humerous!

[longtermmemmory]

No need to be melodramatic. There is the seige potential. How long will the city last with no fuel for electricity? A month? Whay will the civilians do, starve when the americans are waiting to provide food outside the perimiter?

The next step would be to take Baghdad, block by block. Not the best way. There is also the issues of a trap, or a somekind of revenge trigger. Surround them and let them starve. We can sniper the Republican Guard troops at our leisure.

[Paleo Conservative]

'Iraq Will Become A Quagmire For The Americans. Our Troops Will Not Surrender'

Then your troops will die.

If someone surrenders to you, then remember they have that right in international law, and ensure that one day they go home to their family. The ones who wish to fight, well, we aim to please.

Lieutenant-Colonel Tim Collins, the 42-year-old commander of The Royal Irish battle group (Kuwait, Wednesday, March 19, 2003)

[Redcloak]

Someone asked in a thread last week which "journalist" would be the first to use the "Q" word. We have a winner!

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

The same quagmire that Afghanistan was to be for us? Bring it on!

[chilepepper]

quagmire is the favorite word of the left. ..let them get it out of their system...afganistan was supposed to be a quagmire...grenada, panama, kosovo...all quagmires...

it IS a quagmire...problem for the Iraqis is that George Bush is planning on draining the swamp

[SamuraiJohn]

This is just like what they were saying at the Weekly Standard.

Similar to Hitler in his bunker calling to make sure Paris was burning as the allies marched towards Berlin, they have lived so long as seemingly "gods" over their own people they think they can control everything. The German commander told Hitler "yes mein feuhrer" and then hung up and poured himself another glass of wine.

These Iraqi commanders are all out of their minds. They are no doubt scared shitless of losing their positions of power and being dragged before a war crimes court. Everybody knows that if you say and think something enough times it begins to form into a truism, and they just keep chanting that mantra. They probably will keep chanting it even as they rot in jail.

However, minus a major nuclear strike on our forces as they near Baghdad, the Iraqi commanders might as well be threatening "death from above with giant space station lasers and super destructo beams."

God bless our troops!

[Wavyhill]

And at least in Afghanistan they said it when we weren't moving 100 miles per day.

[JoeSchem]

The Left is technically correct in using the word 'quagmire,' in that they define it as a war in which victory is no longer possible. Their usage toward the current war in Iraq is correct, because, after you've already won, how can you win?

Just like WWII is now unwinnable, and so is the Revolutionary War, and so is the Civil War -- therefore, all three are technically 'quagmires' in Leftist Doublespeak. Long live Quagmires!