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.

[P-Marlowe]

After each truck or tank or helicopter is brought down we should wait until the crowd gathers to celebrate and then drop a MOAB on the site. After a few of those, that would effectively eliminate any more public celebrations at the site of American casualties.

These public celebrations stir hope in these people who think that we are weak. They respect power. That is why Saddam was able to keep his people mollified. They were terrified. They need to be terrified. Of us.

[MHGinTN]

I'm struck by how similar are the desires of the terrorist supporting teens and the democrat party leadership in America. The demonRat party is the terrorists' strongest ally in the world-wide war against terrosim of Islamicists.

[TankerKC]

"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."

Looks like there gettign CBS news on their TVs.

[TexKat]

Don't shoot the messenger all of the time. There are recent pictures of Iraqi youngsters jumping for joy after some of our troops are injured or killed. I guess you did not see the pictures of jubilance after the chinook was shot down and 16 of our guys died.

[Principled]

..."Patience, patience Baghdad."

Telling of the strategy.

[dirtboy]

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.

Gee, Reuters, you take one anecdotal episode, from a region that supported Saddam, and use to to gauge public opinion for the entire country. Yeah, you're really objective here...

[MEG33]

Sounds like a Gang member, or a DU poster..

[The_Media_never_lie]

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

Urinalysis is sooooo correct!

[AxelPaulsenJr]

Time to pull the troops out and nuke the damned place.

[tbpiper]

Sounds like demo talking points. Lies like these end up as sermons in the mosques. People here who spew this filth increase the danger to our troops. I'm beginning to think a lot of them know it and accept it as the necessary cost of getting rid of the Bush administration. Digusting, simply disgusting.

[TexKat]

The demonRat party is the terrorists' strongest ally in the world-wide war against terrosim of Islamicists.

Too bad for the dems, the feeling is not mutual. That was shown in 9/11. That is presently being shown in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, etc. These monsters kill their own. They don't give a shite whether you are democrap, republican, black, white, yellow, or blue. All they care about is that you are D E A D.

[Paradox]

You will ALWAYS find people who are against the coalition. Sh*t, right down the street here were I work (Miami), if there was a cop killed in a traffic accident, I bet I could find people standing around watching who think that the cop got what he deserved..

I think the fact is that the majority of Iraqi's dont feel this way. But you can always count on the media to find those who do, and quote them.

[desertcry]

Yeah, reuters a media by the terrorists, and for the terroists.

[Judai]

The Wahabi's have now bought about a 1/3 of the Mosques in the USA and they started with "Charities",thousands of these
started 35 years ago when Egypt kicked out these terrorist scum.We of course let them in with the most unbelievable background'checks'and Canada took the wop's of the 21st century. That was the epithet of choice during WWII, for all the peole from Italy or somewhere, you see they were With Out Papers.
But the mumbers were so tiny back then. We now know that the big $ of the Islamic world is hell bent on total domination and we have to freeze ALL their $$. That is the answer.
Please Don't go wobbly, George! Judai

[TheDon]

The Loyalists said the same thing about the "Yankee Doodle Dandies". So what. They are on the wrong side of history.

[Littlejon]

I think you insult trailer trash when you make that statement! :)

I have come to expect this kind of garbage from Rooters. They would rather execute one of their own reporters than report something positive going on in Iraq.

I also think the US needs to start counter measures with PR in the form of a few flyers of their own. Maybe a few showing the human sized meat grinders & mass graves we have found with the caption "If you want to go back to this, keep celebrating every time an attack on coalition troops happens. We will gladly pull out and let the Baathists back into power whenever you want, idiots!"

Or maybe just have a few Bradley vehicles shadow convoys & if one gets hit, wait for the crowd to start a frenzy around the site & unload on their ungrateful arses.

I am starting to lose my patience with these morons. I am leaning to that "parking lot" in the Sunni Triangle idea more and more.

[Judai]

Reuters still calls Bin Laden a Freedom fighter.
But Iraq is probably the least anti semitic country in the region, which isn't saying much but their knowledge of the out side was very low and Saddam might have paid Martyrs
families but homey didn't play that stuff in his crib.

[Wild Irish Rogue]

" said Ali Qais, 15. "They are just here to steal our oil."

I bet if we checked his wallet,Ali would have a card identifying him as a registered Democrat-part of the outreach to terror youths, supported by the DNC. The anti American fervor was not present in Afghanistan,because the terrorists believed that the country was united. Now that the Democrats and the media have bailed on the WOT,they have become emboldened.Perhaps bringing in some Apaches and dusting the celebrants might dampen their enthusiasm for dancing and cheering,when our guys are blown up.