Posted on 03/31/2003 7:45:00 AM PST by AmericanInTokyo
10:35 a.m. Monday US Time
UNCONFIRMED but initial report:
According to the Russian language site of "al Jazeera" (www.aljazeera.ru), they claim just now that "Chemical Ali", the feared cousin of Saddam Hussein, was killed this morning in Ashtent (Shatra?) north of an-Nasiriyah. Here is the flash news dispatch, below.
We would need a Freeper with good Russian skills to go to the original Russian at www.aljazeera.ru to check it. Also, it could be disinformation, saying he is killed in order to create confusion. But the twitch in my left foot tells me that the US Marines got this key Iraqi commander this a.m., and other one in charge of the Southern Front, today. Let's see:
Babelfish Translation:
"31.03.2003/ Americans do attack An-nasirih; Cousin of Hussein. Today early in the morning US Marines attacked the village of ASh-tent, arranged/located to the north from An-Nasiriyah. As a result of the assault two members of the command of the armed forces of Iraq in the region were killed. General Ali Khasan al-Madjid - cousin of Saddam Hussein, heroically perished, and one of the commanders-in-chief by forces at the southern front. The officers OF THE USA, which led assault, stated that information about the presence in ASh-tent of Iraqi command they obtained from the representatives of oppositional To Saddam of motions. (Note: One assumes they mean US forces learned the whereabouts of Ali due to anti-Saddam forces' intelligence).
Attack was achieved with the support of bombers, helicopters, tanks and artillery. As Reuters correspondent, who accompanies the American armed forces, reported, the aircraft OF THE USA with the high accuracy accomplished the bombardment 4- X of targets/purposes in the ASh-tent. Only after this troops entered into the village. At the same time, the central command of coalition troops on the base ace -Se1li4 in catarrh declared today about the detection in An-nasirii adaptations for the protection from the chemical weaponry. British soldier found in the house, where Iraqi soldiers dwelt. In the official statement of general staff of coalition forces to be indicated that were discovered more than 300 special suits, which shield from the chemical weaponry, are more than 300 balloons with the poison gas, packings with the atropine and Alininom. In other building British marines revealed/detected, as it is asserted in the statement, 800 projectiles RPG and more than 15 thousand cartridges for the automatic weapons and another type of firearm, 300 mortar and hundreds of artillery shells.It follows from the same document that the Americans killed not less than 100 iraki, but 50 took into custody."
[End of Translation Russsian to English]
This cat has nine lives, though. Need confirmation.
At any rate, al Jazeera is slanted, but they are not 100% innaccurate. Interestingly, they mention a Reuters reporter. Perhaps this could be confirmed through Reuters soon, or there will be a Pentagon briefing?
Hope to hell it's true, though.
It may be true. This type of news is not something that they would publish if it wasn't true. On the other hand, they are so disconnected from reality that I would still require corroboration from a reliable source.
Nevertheless, the thought of Chemical Ali now sleeping with the camels, courtesy of the USMC, is way cool. It would be even better if we can capture him alive, show his a$$ on television, interrogate him, and then turn him over to the Kurds for further handling.
The term 'baloons' is used for pressure tanks in the Middle East. Propane tanks are called baloons over here. If this is saying what I think it is saying the search for WMD has just succeded.
If we have snuffed "Chemical Ali" we can move on to "Biological Omar" and "Nuclear Mohammed"
Don't forget that hunny-bunny "Dr. Germ".
If they found some of the bio/chem weapons, it finally proves that the Iraqis are damnable liars.
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