Posted on 12/20/2002 4:28:21 PM PST by What Is Ain't
Baghdad - Dressed in starched khaki military uniforms with a veil covering their heads, Iraqi women fighters have enrolled in Saddam Hussein's Al-Quds Army to liberate Jerusalem from Israeli rule.
These "glorious Iraqi women" as they are known paraded in the streets of Baghdad this week as part of the last batch of some 7 000 men and women in the army created by the Iraqi president and said to number more than seven million.
Young and old and from all walks of life, the women wore guns strapped to their hips as they marched past a huge portrait of the Iraqi leader emblazoned on a heart.
During the parade the women showed what they were made of.
Led by four soldiers carrying a Palestinian flag, they were wildly cheered on by hundreds of spectators that lined the streets.
While some paraded at the double, others ran out from military vehicles, threw themselves on the ground and opened fire with blanks on an invisible enemy to simulate combat.
And in a bid to show that they fear nothing, some grabbed live snakes and chewed the heads off.
The "glorious Iraqi" women who took part in the parade also demonstrated they were no cissies when they disemboweled a live rabbit.
The parade was the culiminating point of two months of military training to join the army which has attracted so far one third of the overall Iraqi population, according to officials, but whose actual military worth is unknown.
"For your eyes, Saddam, we have volunteered," some of the men and women in the parade cried as they marched, while others shouted at the top of their lungs: "It is good to die a martyr."
Baghdad has risen as a champion of the Palestinian cause, while mobilising against the threat of a US military strike and reeling from a UN embargo for more than a decade. On the streets of Baghdad, every street corner reminds one of that.
The Dome of the Rock, symbol of Israeli-annexed and occupied east Jerusalem, often features on huge portraits of Saddam Hussein and murals showing him leading troops into the holy city.
The official media often compares Saddam to Saladdin, the Kurdish chief who drove out the Christian Crusaders from Jerusalem in 1187, and highlights Iraqi financial assistance to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers.
According to official claims, 2.5 million volunteers have completed military training to serve in Al-Quds Army since the Palestinian intifada against Israeli rule broke out more than two years ago.
The volunteers are fed, clothed and given free rides to visit their families on the weekend during the 60-day training course.
They learn to use light and medium weapons as well as other combat techniques.
Although this preparation does not apparently gear them to fight in a full-fledged war, it will enable them to join civil defence units in case of a US strike.
"What a glorious day. Let History be a testimony of your courage," the voice of an organiser boomed from a loudspeaker as a group of volunteers formed a human pyramid, crowned by a man who hoisted a Palestinian flag and flashed a V-for-Victory sign. - Sapa-AFP
I knew there was a reason we never heard about Clinton molesting Iraqi women.
The veil makes it oh-so-much easier to aim.
Through the veils? Fabric wrapped snakes, ummmm. Pictures! Pictures! We need pictures!
The only possible advantage these women might have is a momentary hesitation on the part of American soldiers, because WE don't treat our women like animals (you know, kill them if they dare show their face, forced mutilation ,etc.)
The trick to killing amazons is not to lead them as much...
Blah, Blah, Blah. Old Saddam better watch his back - and front - and sides - you get the picture.
So, if virgins are martyred for the cause, what do they get when they go to Moose Limb Heaven?
No more red wine before posting.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.