Iraqi Teenagers Watch as Americans Bleed

Reuters ^ | 11/12/03 | Michael Georgy

[TexKat]

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - If Washington doubts there is Iraqi public support for guerrillas killing its troops, it should consider the teenagers who happily watched American blood spill Wednesday.

After a roadside bomb ripped through a military vehicle and wounded two soldiers, Iraqi boys rushed out of their homes to survey the damage.

"This is good. If they ask me, I will join the resistance. The Americans have to die," said Ali Qais, 15. "They are just here to steal our oil."

The U.S. administration has long dismissed the guerrillas as isolated "terrorists" who are Saddam Hussein loyalists or foreign Islamic militants.

But the scene in the Sarafiya district of Baghdad suggests they are winning the sympathy of Iraqis, whose joy at Saddam's fall has been overshadowed by anti-American rage.

Teenage boys were irritated to hear that two American soldiers were just wounded, not killed.

"I saw them pushing their hands onto one of the Americans' chest. They must have died. One soldier's friend was crying," said Abdullah Oman, 18.

His fury has been fueled by what he says is an American desire to humiliate all Iraqis.

He even believes that U.S. troops plant the bombs themselves, risking American lives to terrify and kill Iraqis.

"They are watching us die and laughing. They humiliate us. They handcuffed me and arrested me in front of my parents late one night because I stood on my house porch after curfew," he said.

Guerrillas have killed 155 American soldiers since President Bush declared major combat over on May 1.

In the months after the war, Iraqis voiced frustration with the American failure to crack down on looters and restore basic services.

Now talk has turned increasingly violent, especially among teenagers. They have watched American soldiers arrest their fathers and body-search their mothers during intrusive raids.

Iraqis are angrier and guerrillas are carrying out more spectacular attacks such as suicide bombings and mortar strikes on the main U.S. compound in Saddam's former palace.

Shortly after Wednesday's bombing teenagers in Sarafiya picked up leaflets from a group calling itself the Army of Mohammad.

"Patience, patience Baghdad. The occupation army will be destroyed," the leaflets said.

Residents of the working-class area watched as a U.S. soldier poured water and sand over the pools of blood from his comrades.

"I want to join these Iraqi fighters. I want to hit the Americans, the infidels," said Ali Ahmed, 10.

[TexKat]

Ping

[HamiltonJay]

If we only wanted to HUMILIATE IRAQIS we would have just left Saddam in power, he was doing a far better job at humiliating all ARABS than anything the US could ever do...

ANd they wonder why the Arab world is effectively the trailer park trash of the globe.

[tomahawk]

They are savages, they know it, and they resent it. Rather than become civilized, they just hate and kill.

[netmilsmom]

Is it just me or does anyone else think that we should have made the Sunni Triangle a parking lot?

[Grit]

"This is good. If they ask me, I will join the resistance. The Americans have to die," said Ali Qais, 15. "They are just here to steal our oil."

Good thing that no one in America would ever say anything like that. That might give aid and comfort to the enemy.

[over3Owithabrain]

Yeah, you're sarcasm isn't lost on me. We shouldn't be surprised to hear Iraqis say how they hate us, when the very same sentiments are spewed here in the US by a significant portion of our electorate.

[dandelion]

Reuters is on the same journalistic bias level as Al-Jazeera, except Al-Jazeera has more credibility.

[Quix]

WHATEVER the degree of truth, the percentage of such . . . we need to do our best to get on top of such attitude shifts.

WE MUST MANAGE the attitudes of the populace VERY successfully regardless of how tricky and difficult.

[ItsOurTimeNow]

You know the powers-that-be at Roooters were just licking their fingers with glee over those quotable Iraqi teens.

[TC Rider]

Reuters is on the same journalistic bias level as Al-Jazeera, except Al-Jazeera has more credibility.

Does it bother anyone that this Reuters jerk was watching the teenagers, who were watching the soldiers bleed?

[Cobra64]

"I saw them pushing their hands onto one of the Americans' chest. They must have died.

This crap pisses me off. If they think we're trying to humiliate them, then I'd run these little bastards through one of Saddam's shredders.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

"This is good. If they ask me, I will join the resistance. The Americans have to die," said Ali Qais, 15. "They are just here to steal our oil."

Probably voted for algore.

[sarasota]

There's still time.

[iBillDavis]

slowly but surely the americans are losing the iraqi youth...soon the young will go the way of the palestinian youth and the americans will be in the same boat as the IDF...bush needs to declare victory now, saddam has been removed, and bring the troops home...

[ChefKeith]

Looks to Me like a 10,15 & 18 year old needs to be on the hit list for the next raids and this time DON'T let them go!!!!!!!!!!!1

Stupid raghead punks go to the land of 72 virgins.

[jos65]

This article prompts the questions:

With the education,indoctrination,intimidation,etc imposed upon these teens,what would be expected?

While in school(?) what were the teens taught?

When Saddam was in power( 35 years),were they able to make comparable comments?