Inside the Ring-Iraqi soldiers defecting

The Washington Times ^ | 28 February, 2003 | Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough

[Happy2BMe]

Morale is low in the Iraqi army and many soldiers are preparing white flags of surrender, we are told by someone in northern Iraq who recently interviewed two defectors from Saddam Hussein's army.

One was a captain who defected from the 5th Mechanized Division of the 1st Corps, based near the northern city of Kirkuk. The captain told our informant that the heavy division was only 35 percent combat-effective. The captain said morale was so low that younger soldiers are speaking openly about surrendering

[Happy2BMe]

Surely, now the French will join in the heat of the battle!

[MississippiMan]

The captain said morale was so low that younger soldiers are speaking openly about surrendering — before the first shot has been fired.

Sounds like the French have already been there!

MM

[Happy2BMe]

"The captain said morale was so low that younger soldiers are speaking openly about surrendering — before the first shot has been fired."

This is of course by design - so as to save the lives of the human shields surrounding Baghdad.

Very courageous - reminds me of the French.

[Happy2BMe]

"Sounds like the French have already been there! "

Can Martin Sheen somhow trace his roots back to gay Parie?

[patriciaruth]

Thanks for posting this. I saw it at Drudge, under the article about Russia threatening a veto....

One bright spot in a grim week. Hope the poor buggers all have the sense to make and hide their white flags while they can.

[VaBthang4]

"Four days later, Gen. Tommy Franks, the commander of any U.S. invasion of Iraq, told the Associated Press' Robert Burns: "There may come a day when [Mr. Rumsfeld] asks me: 'Are you satisfied that you have enough?' And I will tell you truthfully he has not asked me that question."

WHA!!

I guess being made a figurehead can piss a hillbilly off huh? Next time do what the...oh wait a minute...there wont be a next time.

:o)

GO RUMMY GO!!

[geopyg]

Darn, I thought the bombing had started. I thought it said "Iraqi Soldiers Defecating".

[Russell Scott]

Sounds like the French Foreign Legion's training is paying great dividends. Maybe the French are our ally after all.

[Post Toasties]

US forces could broadcast 'how to surrender' videos in Iraq featuring French military specialists.

[Happy2BMe]

You're very welcome.

"Hope the poor buggers all have the sense to make and hide their white flags while they can."

If you get a chance to talk to a Desert Storm vet, ask them if they were involved in any of the "repatriations" of the Iraqis then.

My step dad was Army Guard (Arizona) stationed inside Iraq.

He loved telling how the Iraqis would surrender by the hundreds to just two or three American soldiers - they did it by the thousands.

One single weapon in our arsenal had a devastating and demoralizing affect on the Iraqi forces - the B52 Stratofortress Bomber!

My step dad told me the Iraqis were literally shaking so violently from fear of death from the BUFF runs, many of them couldn't hold a water container in their hands long enough to get a drink of water - for many hours after they had surrendered.

Desert Storm Deja Vue!

[Happy2BMe]

"Maybe the French are our ally after all."

How history will tell the story:

A. The U.N. sent inspectors into Iraq to find weapons of mass destruction - the same WMD Saddamn said he did not have. Forming new alliances, France, Germany, and Belgium, continually sought prolonged inspection times in their attempts to restrain the U.S. and Britian from attacking Saddam. The U.N. Council repeatedly ruled in thir favor.

B. Saddamn, while insisting (and convincing France, Germany, and Belgium) he had no WMD, at the same time threatened the U.S. and Britian to destroy them (WITH THE SAME WMD HE CLAIMED NOT TO HAVE) if they attacked Iraq.

C. The United States and Britian agreed that Saddamn had not complied with U.N. resolution 1440, had WMD, then attacked and removed Saddamn from power to prevent him (or other terrorists) from using them.

D. After the U.S. and Britian attacked Iraq, vast stores of WMD, chemical, biological, and yes - even some nuclear - were uncovered by the prevailing U.S. and British forces.

E. Saddamn and his two sons were tried before a U.N. tribunal and unaimously found to be enemies of minkind perptetuating mass murders on their own people of magnitudes and ferociouceness not seen since Adolph Hitler's actions created the word "genocide." They were summarily executed by firing squads for their crimes against humanity.

F. The Democrats in the United States had their worst election returns in the 2004 elections in that party's history.

G. George W. Bush was elected president for a second term in 2004 by the largest landslide in U.S. history.

H. Ditto for Tony Blair.

I. Hillary Clinton was defeated for his (grin) bid for reelection in New York State.

J. Thanks to the "footdragging" tactics of France and Germany througout the entire world crisis, the United Nations was made to be a laughing stock of historical proportions and was deemed irrelevent and impotent and consequently vaporized into nothingness as did it's predecessor - The League of Nations.

Viva La France - French Military History in a Nutshell (Including *WAR ON TERRORISM*)

[patriciaruth]

Give my regards to your Dad!

[KickRightRudder]

Read a story about 10 years ago of a guy who went back to Vietnam and learned of a Vietnamese man who would piss his pants whenever a car backfired. He said the B-52's are responsible;"the scariest damn part of the entire war was seeing the b-52's approach". Still terrifying 'em after 50 years.

[PatL]

They should drop a supply of white flags in case the Iraqi's run low (unless they have used flags from France).

[Happy2BMe]

"Give my regards to your Dad!"

Heheh--he loved every second of it.

He ate nothing but MREs for over three months (forward as forward operating can be).

Lost a kidney from it - the MREs (not the Iraqis).

#:>)

[null and void]

Boycott french GOODS?

french products, maybe, but goods???

[Happy2BMe]

"Still terrifying 'em after 50 years."

There’s More Where That Came From

[null and void]

"the scariest damn part of the entire war was seeing the b-52's approach".

The Iraqis will be saying:
"The scariest damn part of the entire war was NOT seeing the B-2's approach"...

[Int]

psy-war?

[KickRightRudder]

Love it.