Carnage predicted after uprising in Basra

The Mercury - Australia ^ | 3-26-03

[Oldeconomybuyer]

26mar03 BRITISH forces have predicted carnage as Iraqi troops fire on their own people to quell a rebellion in Basra.

Troops stationed outside the city said a violent uprising against Saddam Hussein's regime had erupted today, and that Iraqi troops opened fire to put down the revolt.

"There has been a civilian uprising in the north of Basra. We have seen a large crowd on the streets," said one British officer.

"The Iraqis are firing their own artillery at their own people. There will be carnage."

Iraqi Information Minister Mohammad Said al-Sahhaf denied the report in a statement to Al-Jazeera television.

But British intelligence reports said thousands of people were rampaging through parts of the city known to be populated by loyal supporters of Saddam's regime. They said Iraqi artillery opened fire on the rebels.

Dozens of buildings were said to be in flames in the city, a centre of Shiite Muslims long repressed by Saddam's ruling Sunni Muslim Baath Party.

"I categorically deny these provocative lies the Americans are trying to spread through CNN," Sahhaf told Al-Jazeera.

"These are lies issued by the US administration and British government ... with the aim of demoralising (the Iraqi population)."

US and British commanders have been looking for Iraqis to rise up against the regime as their troops push their way into the country in a bid to topple Saddam and his inner circle from power.

Undercover British intelligence offers were said to have been working inside the city of 1.5 million people for weeks in a bid to engineer the unrest.

British tanks were massed outside the city and preparing to move in. British troops described the Iraqi artillery fire as "horrific".

The main Shiite Iraqi opposition group, based in Iran, also said the revolt was under way.

"A revolt is taking place in Basra," Mohammad Hadi, spokesman of the Supreme Assembly for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq said in Tehran. "We have no more details for the moment."

[k2blader]

Prayer bump!

[linear]

Just the fact that they are appearing on CNN is enough for me to know that they are not propaganda of the Amercian gov't. lol.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

OFFICIAL BUMP(TOPIC)LIST

[vastrightwc]

Sounds to me like the fear of Saddam is starting to wane a little bit. The pendulum may be starting to swing.

[Lee Heggy]

Better to have Iraqis shooting at each other than at us but remember that the Shiites hate Saddam only that much more than they dislike us. Time to watch our backs.

[Quix]

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO,
ALLIES

LET'S CRUSH THOSE ARTILLARY NESTS!!!

Don't leave them in the lurch AGAIN!

[Amerigomag]

The Iraqis are firing their own artillery at their own people

Statements like this from western democracies show little understanding of the ethnoreligious diversity of the region.

Iraqis are not firing on Iraqis. Suni Muslims with strong ties to the Ba'thist regime are firing on Shi'a muslims with strong ties to Iran.

[Jeff Head]

Hopefully, the British and our own forces will get in their quickly and help and keep it from turning into a blood bath for those rebelling against the fascist Saddamites.

I pray we do, and that it is successful, and sets a pattern and an example for other Shiite and Kurd areas.

[may18]

Uk forces firing at baath artilery right at this moment

[Bluegrass Federalist]

Do they all live in Iraq, or not?

[Kay Soze]

Prayer is right!

after their uprsising Faailed in 1991 Saddam killed not 10 or 29 people.

He killed hundreds of thousands of people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Think on that Martin Sheen, Susan Sarandon.George Clooney, Mike Morre, Ed Asner, ANSWER.

Whwy did not that bother the defenders of peace and humanity????

[valleygal]

Not only that, but the evil ones are have US uniforms, dressing like us and then executing the Shia that try to surrender (per Fox...per intel given to Defense Dept.)

Just now wasying Iraqi TV now dark.

[valleygal]

wasying =saying , sorry:)

[vbmoneyspender]

bump

[ArrogantBustard]

Do they all live in Iraq, or not?

ROFL!!! You just demonstrated his point...

[tracer]

"Suni Muslims with strong ties to the Ba'thist regime are firing on Shi'a muslims with strong ties to Iran."

Talk about a win-win situation.....

[dfwgator]

It's deja vu all over again.

[aShepard]

Iraqis are not firing on Iraqis. Suni Muslims with strong ties to the Ba'thist regime are firing on Shi'a muslims with strong ties to Iran

Is that kinda like the Northern Irish Catholics getting it on with the Protestants???

[Charles Martel]

More here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/875114/posts