Iraqi General Urges Support of U.S. Troops

Drudge ^ | May 16, 2:54 PM (ET) | KATARINA KRATOVAC

[toolbreaker]

Iraqi General Urges Support of U.S. Troops

May 16, 2:54 PM (ET)

By KATARINA KRATOVAC

FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) - A former Saddam Hussein-era general appointed by the Americans to lead an Iraqi security force in the rebellious Sunni stronghold of Fallujah urged tribal elders and sheiks Sunday to support U.S. efforts to stabilize Iraq.

Retired Maj. Gen. Mohammed Abdul-Latif rose to prominence after nearly monthlong battles last month between the Marines monthlong battles in April between the Marines and insurgents hunkered down in Fallujah's neighborhoods.

"We can make them (Americans) use their rifles against us or we can make them build our country, it's your choice," Latif told a gathering of more than 40 sheiks, city council members and imams in an eastern Fallujah suburb.

The siege of this city of 200,000 people, located about 40 miles west of Baghdad, was lifted when top Marine officers announced the creation of the Fallujah Brigade - a force made exclusively of former Iraqi army officers.

The Marines withdrew from Fallujah into the rural hinterland and far-flung suburbs, allowing the Iraqi force to take up positions and start patrols inside the city. The brigade is expected to number about 1,500 men, many of them conscripts or noncommissioned officers under Saddam.

They are expected to fight the guerrillas, although some of the same insurgents who fought the Marines last month will likely join the brigade.

On Sunday, Marines of the 1st Battalion, 5th Regiment provided security for the gathering in Kharma.

Latif, 66, a native of Baghdad, urged the elders to talk freely, citing the Muslim holy book, the Quran.

"The Quran says we should sit together, discuss and make a decision, but let it be the right decision," the silver-haired Latif - a slim figure wearing a blue shirt and dark blue tie and pants - told the sheiks.

The venue offered a rare insight into Latif's interactions and influence over Fallujah elders. As he spoke, many sheiks nodded in approval and listened with reverence to his words. Later, they clasped his hands and patted Latif on the back.

Latif, speaking in Arabic to the sheiks, defended the Marines and the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

"They were brought here by the acts of one coward who was hunted out of a rathole - Saddam - who disgraced us all," Latif said. "Let us tell our children that these men (U.S. troops) came here to protect us.

"As President Bush said, they did not come here to occupy our land but to get rid of Saddam. We can help them leave by helping them do their job, or we can make them stay ten years and more by keeping fighting."

Lt. Col. Brennan Byrne, the Marine battalion commander, said, "No truer words have been spoken here today than those by General Latif."

Latif also told the insurgents to "stop doing stupid things."

"Those bullets that are fired will not get the Americans out, let them finish their job here so that they can return to their country," Latif said.

"Our country is precious, stop allowing the bad guys to come from outside Iraq to destroy our country."

Latif, a former military intelligence officer said to have been imprisoned by Saddam and exiled, praised the former Iraqi army.

"The army used to be honest until Saddam made the men turn into beasts, take bribes, betray their own country," he said. "The real army is the army that works hard to serve its own citizens, with courage and strength."

After the meeting, Latif told The Associated Press that the situation in Fallujah has greatly improved, that "winds of peace" prevail in the city and the people that fled the fighting have returned. He would not elaborate on the size or current activities of the Fallujah Brigade.

"Let us speak about peace," Latif said in English. "Fallujah was an open wound, now it's healing."

[F16Fighter]

"They were brought here by the acts of one coward who was hunted out of a rathole - Saddam - who disgraced us all," Latif said. "Let us tell our children that these men (U.S. troops) came here to protect us."

It's a start.

Now let 'em pass the word fast before we pack it in and leave the Iraqi people to sink or swim -- ON THEIR OWN.

[WOSG]

First, welcome to FR.

"Is there any coincidence that Maj. Gen. Mohammed Abdul-Latif was a member of Saddam's Republican Guard..."

Second, this is not true. You are confusing Latif with the other saddam-era general (saleh) that was considered and then dropped as Fallujah Brigade leader.

[WOSG]

It's fascinating that a guy like Latif has a more friendly attitude towards the coalition forces and our presence than the vast majority of the mainstream media.

[Ranger]

Ok this guy has my attention. If we is quoted accurately, I'm very impressed.

[Jorge]

A voice of reason!

I can't believe how stupid these Iraqis are who are opposing the US forces that liberated them from Saddam.
They don't realize that if the US forces pull out, Iraq will turn into a total hell hole.

[smonk]

I did the exact same thing, found nothing, and actually posted
this story a THIRD time before coming across it by
happenstance.

"iraqi general" returns nothing, but "iraq general" will
give you both threads. well, it actually returned three
before I alerted on my own thread.

it's an important story, though.

[McGavin999]

Don't kid yourself, Latif is not "friendly" toward us, he just understands us. He now believes that we are going to leave, he also believes we will not go until there is a good government elected and the Iraqis are on their feet militarily. He knows that without our help, any Iraqi army they might put together without us would be quickly overrun by any of their neighbors.

He's not our friend.....yet.

[ambrose]

sausages.

[ambrose]

I don't pretend for one second that anyone there is our 'friend'... He has simply come to the realization that his interests are better served working with us than against us... for now.

[ambrose]

It is ironic that our troops are enjoying more support from this Iraqi general than John Kerry.

[CWOJackson]

As you've pointed out already, the general may not be our best friends but he's also not a fool.

Another point about his endorsement of us, I noticed that he is not calling for the U.S. to withdraw in June and/or be replaced by a U.N. peace keeping farce.

He knows full well that the U.N. farce would be controlled by the french, germans and russians...and he knows they would do nothing to defend his country unless they were the highest bidder.

[Nick Danger]

This story appears to be totally contradicted by another one here.

Trying to figure out the truth of what is going on in Iraq is very difficult. A very large fraction of the reporters on scene appear to be leftist ideologues of various stripes who seem to view their jobs as proselytizing on behalf of anti-war, anti-US, anti-Bush politics. Many times glimpses of truth can only be discerned by observing intereference patterns formed by slight differences in their lies.

This appears to be not one of those cases. AP says it's this way, and Reuters says it's that way, and it's pretty hard to reconcile these stories. One of these reporters is probably telling us the truth.

Of the two, the Reuters version looks most like the usual facts-through-the-strainer anti-US position paper that we usually get from the press, so the possibility exists that we have, in this story, uncovered the existence of an honest AP reporter.

I just scanned a random sample of 24 pages of Google dropping written or co-authored by this "KATARINA KRATOVAC." Don't know who she is or where she came from, but she appears to be the real deal. Of these two stories, I'd believe this one and discount the Reuters version. This woman does not appear to grind axes when writing stories. She also does not appear to have trouble writing about positive things that U.S. forces do there, when that is in fact the case. Also, unlike other reporters, she occasionally encounters an Iraqi who has something nice to say about life without Saddam.

Watch for this woman's stories. She just might be a beacon of truth in a sea of Peter Arnett lookalikes.

[Texasforever]

He is very likely one of the Generals we were in contact with prior to the invasion. Several of them ignored Saddam’s orders to fight to the death.

[Justa]

The Fallujah Brigade is there to counter the 'Syria Brigade' which the media will not mention. If the Iraqis can't take care of their own city the Marines will.