Forced to die for a regime they hate (MUST, MUST READ)

The Scotsman ^ | April 7, 2003 | TERRY RICHARDS AND TOM NEWTON DUNN

[MadIvan]

THE elderly Iraqi man walked gingerly towards the checkpoint set up by Royal Marines on the outskirts of Basra. As he got closer to the troops they warily fixed their gun barrels on the shuffling figure in front of them.

Holding his hands in the air he shouted out in English: "Please, please. Surrender, surrender." He looked like just another fighter - until he dropped five grenades on the floor.

One by one they fell from his tunic, clattering to the ground. Suddenly all hell broke loose and everybody dived for cover.

The base, in an old Iraqi army compound, was put on full alert and personnel inside sheltered behind brick walls at the back of the compound to protect themselves from a possible blast.

For a few seconds it was still - the grenades hadn’t gone off, the pins remained intact. All that could be heard were the gentle moanings of the Iraqi man, repeating the words "surrender, surrender". British sentries on the roof of a nearby building shouted at him to get on his knees.

If he had made any sudden moves, they would have pulled their triggers. If the man had detonated the devices, he would also have killed two commando sentries as well as a BBC cameraman who were standing just ten feet from him at the time.

As he lay on the ground members of 40 Commando ran over and seized him, stripping off his clothes and checking for more weapons before he was arrested and led away for questioning.

It was only later that the man’s story emerged. He told marine commanders how he had been forced at gunpoint by Fedayeen militia to stage a suicide attack against their base. Living alone, and with no family, they had deemed him a perfect choice to carry out their attack.

After dragging him from his home in the city, they drove him in a taxi to within a few hundred yards of the base. Pushing him out of the car, they kept their guns fixed on the old man as he tottered towards the checkpoint.

He later told how he would have been shot dead by the paramilitaries if he had refused. But at the last minute, instead of detonating the grenades, he decided to surrender to the marines.

The man, who only wants to be known by his first name, Abdullah, said last night after he was debriefed by intelligence officers: "The special operations team said I had three choices, they kill me, the British kill me, or I kill myself.

"I did not want to do the attack because I hate Saddam Hussein and his regime and the British I see as my friends. I am a Muslim and killing people is also against my religion, but they gave me no choice.

"When I walked up to the gate I thought, ‘I cannot do this’. So I told the British soldiers I am their friend and I pulled up my shirt and showed them my weapons, and they didn’t shoot me.

"There are other people like me that the regime forces to do things they don’t want. We just want freedom."

One soldier of 40 Commando said: "We thought the hand grenades were fruit at first because they were bright yellow. The pins were still in them so they were fairly safe."

Increasingly, Iraqis are giving British forces vital bits of information to help them destroy the Iraqi militia. The fisherman was targeted by the group, led by an Iraqi army major and believed to be a special operations unit from Basra, because he lived alone, he told marine intelligence officers.

They have also been using his small deserted home close to the Shatt Al Arab as a meeting place to plan attacks on the Royal Marines, who took Abu Al Khasib a week ago.

On Wednesday night, the same commando base was hit by three rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire in a surprise attack. Commandos chased the group through the town’s streets but they escaped.

The Commanding Officer of 40 Commando, Colonel Gordon Messenger, said last night: "We are obviously very pleased this man seemed to have a change of heart at the last minute. But it does go to show the astonishing lengths of barbarity to which the dying embers of Saddam Hussein’s regime are prepared to go in the hope of doing us harm.

"We now have good intelligence on the group behind this attempted attack. We also believe they are the men who attacked our base three days ago. They are hiding locally, and we hope to track them down very shortly."

[jocon307]

Onward Christian Soliders
Marching as to War
With the Cross of Jesus
Going on Before

The great, great hymn, I always associate it with the Salvation Army, who are GREAT. Pray, what unfortunate denomination do you belong to that stripped this fine song from your hymnals? At least this is one sin that Catholics are not guilty of, it was never in our (is it still our for me? don't know!) hymnals. We just screwed up "Amazing Grace"! Also not our song, but we screwed it up anyway ("such a one as me" instead of "such a wretch as me".) At least I heard THAT decried from the pulpit.

Did 9/11 change anything? Did it change everything? Did it change this nonsense?

Sometimes when I'm on this site all weekend, I feel like we all can change everything; other times, I'm not so sure. But I tell you, the BS quotient has to be improved quickly, otherwise it won't matter whether or not the terrorists win, freedom, liberty, and natural law will be defeated anyway.

[Libertina]

I'm with you, Ivan. And lucky for him that the Royal Marines didn't take him out before they discovered the truth. Well done Allies!

[Illbay]

No one should believe his story, of course. After all, he is obviously a liar because he claims his Muslim religion doesn't allow him to kill.

And "everyone knows" that Islam is a religion of death and slaughter. Since this man is a Muslim, he must also believe in nothing but death for infidels.

I mean, ask anyone here on FR. This guy is "the enemy."

[Illbay]

OPh, you mean like "Mohammed," the hero who is responsible for the rescue of PFC Jessica Lynch and the recovery of the bodies of her comrades?

Another "enemy" who we are locked with in a struggle to the death.

[Illbay]

Music by Sir Arthur Sullivan, whose claim to fame is, of course, the wonderful comic operettas he composed to the lyrics of his partner W. S. Gilbert!

[T'wit]

Ah, thank you, Miss Marple. War or no war, we don't hear that hymn much any more, do we? But it was once a star in the church firmament, and as best I recall, music by Sir Arthur Sullivan.

[patricia]

Thanks for posting this.

[DeFault User]

One Sunday several years ago our congregation began singing the tune of "Onward, Christian Soldiers" but with a different title and different words. I don't recall what the new version was. An older woman next to me started heartily belting out the standard words without reading the hymnal's sanitized version. About halfway through the first verse, she realized her error. I was embarrassed more for the church than for her on hearing a fine old hymn perverted.

[Slings and Arrows]

A few good men indeed. Tears-in-my-eyes bump.

[gcruse]

bttt

[WRhine]

I have to admit I felt a catch in my throat as I read this poor man's story. We should be in no doubt, it is with God's sword of justice in our hand that we fight this war.

From everything that has happened it has to be.

[Happygal]

Mega-ping! :-)

And BTTT.

[FBD]

Thanks for the ping! BTTT