'These are the men who return to frighten us when you go'

The Times ^ | April 1, 2003 | Greg Swift

[snooter55]

BRAVO BRITS !!

[demosthenes the elder]

heh, yep. I imagine a bullpup buttstroke or three were applied in the course of this conversation.
Good.

[timm22]

Damm, these Brits are smart. Anyone want to imagine what a Fustercluck this would be if the French were running the show? Anyone??

If they were running the show, the gloom-and-doom "quagmire" b.s. from the media would actually be an accurate (if understated) assessment of the situation.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Now we know that Hussein's "Oil for Food" shipments were being given to the Baath party members for their own use, while the ordinary Iraqis were starving to death on the rations being handed out by the Govt.!

They always do this and I do mean always.

In 1973 when the army took over in Chile they found warehouse after warehouse full of food that the government had stored while the people stood in breadlines and went hungry.

[dighton]

Love it.

“Once they were in the building they were told they were under arrest and were coming with us. They protested, we searched them and then they were made forcibly aware that they were under arrest.”

[Cicero]

I don't know if we are prepared to execute these people, but anything less will be a terrible danger to the Shiites and other civilians in Iraq. Letting them loose would be similar to letting serial murderers and rapists loose on the population.

One alternative, although it would be a very risky one, is to arm the Shiites. Kind of a second amendment solution.

[MadIvan]

I suggest we set up a series of Nuremburg trials and hang the Ba'athists. No more mercy for these Nazis.

Regards, Ivan

[JDoutrider]

I'd gladly supply the rope...

[DianaN]

Thanks Ivan! God bless you and keep you safe. God grant you enough rest, enough food, enough ammo, enough of everything you need until you are home. Thank you so much British soldiers, we Americans will NEVER forget that Prime Minister Blair and you guys risked it all. YOU ARE OUR HEROES!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are showing the terrorists that they can't keep the knife of blackmail at our throats without paying an awesome price: freeing the Iraqi's and everything else is added benefits

[Gumption]

Ah. The spoils of war. These guys have earned it.

And in an interview an hour later the officer Commanding Z Company, Major Duncan McSporran, when asked to comment further on the early morning attack said, "I love you ... no seriously , I know I don't say it enough but I lealy luv lu ... ha did you hear what I said, I said lu". Then proceeded to hug me. Back to you Jim.

[ODDITHER]

"I love British understatement"

Yea - ditto-

I laughed when I heard a British officer describing the mounds of ammunition and weapons they had taken in a raid -
He finished it off with and "we found other Bits and bobs."

[reg45]

Saddam can't surrender..."He's dead, Jim!"

Hey! They brought Spock back ...

[xm177e2]

Captain Cartwright said that villagers pointed out a number of men who were considerably better dressed and groomed then the locals and who appeared to be agitated by what they saw.

“It was also noticeable how the locals’ body language and attitude changed — they became more fearful, more cowed,” he said.

“One villager, having warned us that there were ‘eyes and ears everywhere’ said, ‘These are the men who disappear when you turn up and come back to frighten us when you go’.

“We wanted to arrest these guys and so appealed to their vanity by inviting them into the building explaining that we needed to talk to them in private.

“Once they were in the building they were told they were under arrest and were coming with us. They protested, we searched them and then they were made forcibly aware that they were under arrest.”

#1 - Very good that the Brits took the initiative to do this

#2 - Kanan Makiya's war diary said the Fedayeen were better groomed than the general populace.

[EllaMinnow]

Another heartening report!

[Regulator]

Reminds me of gangsters. Filth bribed to prey on their countrymen who have nothing, running a giant protection racket.

[hoosiermama]

Thanks! Another positive report.

[oust the louse]

Great job Ivan!God Bless your Lads!

[lawnguy]

Outstanding!!! How brave of those villagers to point out the men to the soldiers

Is there a way to recognize those folks who help us? Is there a precedent for some kind of decoration for helpful civilians? I agree, this is the epitome of bravery. Contrast that to the cowards in the local rent-a-mob protest we are treated to nightly.

[JasonC]

SF types infiltrating for intel (the sniper team) - check.
Bravery (the assault) - check.
Justice (the treatment of the rest) - check.
Cooperation with friendlies (the informers) - check.
Triage the populace (the arrests) - check.

Not so hard, is it?

[lawnguy]

Is there an imbedded reporter with this force, and is any video being released of these raids?