Iraq's elite troops pledge to fight to death

Reuters | 3/01/03

[kattracks]

BAGHDAD, March 1 (Reuters) - Iraq's elite troops told Iraqi President Saddam Hussein on Saturday they would fight to the death to defend Iraq and its leader in the case of a U.S.-led invasion.

The Republican Guards, Saddam's best-equipped special forces, made their allegiance during a meeting with Saddam, who has been dedicating his time to discussing strategy with officers ahead of a likely war.

"They confirmed to the president that they have completed their preparations and conducted exercises, taking into consideration all the possibilities," the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) quoted Iraq's special guards units as saying.

"They pledged to the president that they will be the swords that will fight the aggressors and that they are ready to sacrifice to the level of martyrdom to defend their leader, their country and their sanctities," INA added.

The Republican Guards, led by Saddam's son Qusay, are the main fighting force behind Saddam's rule.

The United States and Britain have massed thousands of troops in the Gulf for a possible invasion to oust Saddam who they accuse of having weapons of mass destruction.

The Iraqi military currently has about 375,000 troops, including six regular Republican Guard divisions. Both the regular and Special Republican Guard units are the best equipped and trained.

U.S. officials said this week that troops and equipment from Iraqi Republican Guard divisions have begun moving south towards Baghdad from their base in northern Iraq, apparently to beef up defences of Saddam's hometown of Tikrit and Baghdad.

[sheik yerbouty]

Mekhtoub!(It is written)

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Typical muslims. The soldiers on the battlefield operate on a 9-year-old mental level. They pledge to fight to the death, then surrender en masse when the battle goes badly and their "leaders" abandon them outright on the battefield. They sing like canaries when they're caught, too.

Soldiers in muslim countries do not develop the same sense of loyalty that American soldiers do. They are not raised with principles like honor and integrity. Their leaders do not foster loyalty by leading by example. They beat and threaten their troops to keep them in line. The soldiers go into battle and run to the side that they think is winning.

[glock rocks]

Iraq's elite troops told Iraqi President Saddam Hussein on Saturday they would fight to the death

BWAHAHAHAHA. teehee teehee titter titter giggle fart. yup, sure ya will.

[ward_of_the_state]

Maybe throw in a warm shower, some clean underwear, and a toothbrush

Sorry, I just found out that the French object to this on the grounds that it would be CRUEL & UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT. against the French Conventions.

Didn't the French already surrender to Germany?

[skinnycat6]

reserving the right, however, to surrender to the first public toilet that they see.....

[TADSLOS]

reserving the right, however, to surrender to the first public toilet that they see.....

Hey, when you gotta go, you gotta go.

[hattend]

Love the BUFF Bump

[Young Werther]

My frag order would include this Triumphal Arch as Target #1.

Next, we air drop, a Screaming Eagle battalion, some engineers, and a road grader and we'll have that boulevard ready to receive C-17s with 72 hours!!

[xzins]

Good. What did Patton say, "Let the other bastard die for his country."

[bellevuesbest]

Good; glad to hear it!

[Momaw Nadon]

Attack on Iraq Betting Pool

[e_engineer]

The Sony 3 CCD packs a powerful punch. Make sure you're not looking down the barrel... er, I mean lens, when you press the "white balance" button.

[FreeAtlanta]

I am sick and tired of hearing people use the term "Republican Guard" when they are the "Nabu Khuth Nussar" or Nebuchadnezzar divisions. Iraq's Best Troops This and calling muslim nations and other evil dictators, "conservative" seems blatenly bias, and even we conservatives fall into these usages. It needs to stop. Those nations have more in common with socialist or communist "progressives" than they do with freedom loving conservatives.

Free Republic: It is my soap box, and I'll have to be pummeled off it!

[EGPWS]

The Republican Guards, led by Saddam's son Qusay, are the main fighting force behind Saddam's rule.

STIll?

I figured with close to 12 years of contemplation since the 1st "Mother of all battles" that Qusay would have at least changed the name of their "elite" to help strike some fear in their soon to be liberators.

[Stultis]

Yeah, that's the ticket. As a matter of fact we can't wait and will be heading for the border right away to kill the infidels. What? Oh, those are my spare BVD's. I just washed 'em and tied 'em to this stick to dry out...

[geedee]

Iraq's elite troops pledge to fight to death

[Dutch Boy]

I read on FR not long ago a great description of the Iraqi Elite Republican Guard..... They have boots

[ClearBlueSky]

OKAY!!!!!! :-D
THAT'S the idea!!

[FBD]

Blood-n-Guts said it best didn't he?:
"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won the war by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country."
--General George Patton

Some of what's left of the "elite Iraqi forces" after the last go-around: