Iraqi Troops Surrender

Sunday Mirror | Mar 9 2003 | Mike Hamilton

[MattAMiller]

TERRIFIED Iraqi soldiers have crossed the Kuwait border and tried to surrender to British forces - because they thought the war had already started.

The motley band of a dozen troops waved the white flag as British paratroopers tested their weapons during a routine exercise.

The stunned Paras from 16 Air Assault Brigade were forced to tell the Iraqis they were not firing at them, and ordered them back to their home country telling them it was too early to surrender.

The drama unfolded last Monday as the Para batallion tested mortars and artillery weapons to make sure they were working properly.

The Iraqis found a way across the fortified border, which is sealed off with barbed-wire fencing, watchtowers and huge trenches.

A British Army source in Kuwait contacted me to explain how the extraordinary surrender bid unfolded. The source said: "The British guys on the front-line could not believe what was happening. They were on pre-war exercises when all of a sudden these Iraqis turned up out of nowhere, with their hands in the air, saying they wanted to surrender.

"They had heard firing and thought it was the start of the war.

"The Paras are a tough, battle-hardened lot but were moved by the plight of the Iraqis. There was nothing they could do other than send them back.

"They were a motley bunch and you could barely describe them as soldiers - they were poorly equipped and didn't even have proper boots. Their physical condition was dreadful and they had obviously not had a square meal for ages. No one has ever known a group of so-called soldiers surrender before a shot has been fired in anger."

Last night the Ministry of Defence officially denied the incident had taken place, but the story was corroborated by an intelligence source.

Meanwhile Saddam Hussein has ordered thousands of troops back to Baghdad as he turns the city into a fortress.

It is believed that two rings of steel are being established around Baghdad. The outer one consists of regular Iraqi army soldiers and the inner one is made up of Republican Guard fighters - thought to be the only troops that will put up fierce resistance.

[MattAMiller]

I wouldn't want to fight for Saddam either.

[Keith in Iowa]

I wonder if they were trained by the French....

[FairOpinion]

I think it's terrible that they sent them back.

They should have had Kuwait offer them asylum or something.

[cincinnati65]

It's never "too early to surrender". It's called defecting.

[Waco]

Smart move, installing those gates.

[EggsAckley]

I expect that the outer ring of soldiers in Baghdad will surrender as quickly as these poor morons.

[AgentEcho]

Allow me to be the first to say that I doubt this story is true.

At least as this point.

Æ

[Post Toasties]

Precisely. This will hardly encourage Iraqi troops to surrender in the future.

[Illbay]

The whole country will surrender within 24 hours, except for the Republican Guards.

It will take them maybe another 24 hours.

Here's betting Saddam gets a bullet in the head within a couple of days from the beginning. The only question will be whether it's self-inflicted or not.

[DeepInEnemyTerritory]

Why were they sent back? Saddam will probably kill them. They could have been of some use to us either by giving us intelligence or they could have told their stories to the media and maybe swayed public opinion.

[FairOpinion]

Actually I wouldn't deride the surrendering Iraqi soldiers. They are not surrendering, because they are cowards, like the French.

They are surrendering, because they know that the US will liberate them from Saddam, and they hate Saddam more than we do, because they know him. So why should they get killed defending Saddam? And they also know that American victory is assured.

Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that while Saddam is urging his military leaders to fight to the death and use WMD, etc., he himself is running to some tunnel and sneak out of the country with his billions.

I read somewhere that he sent his jeweler to buy millions of dollars worth of diamonds, and there was speculation that he is doing it to convert his assets into easy to carry precious stones, because he is planning to escape, if the going gets tough, and we know it will.

[Riley]

I think it's terrible that they sent them back.

Agree completely. I hope that they don't get the 'Vlasov' treatment.

[strela]

The stunned Paras from 16 Air Assault Brigade were forced to tell the Iraqis they were not firing at them, and ordered them back to their home country telling them it was too early to surrender.

Still laughing maniacally at this line ...

[FairOpinion]

I don't think he would ever kill himself, no matter what.

He has his escape plan.

Of course he may end up like Ceausescu.

Or possibley we may hear that he committed suicide, and nobody will investigate too hard that he shot himself in the back of the head.

[MetalHeadConservative35]

The stunned Paras from 16 Air Assault Brigade were forced to tell the Iraqis they were not firing at them, and ordered them back to their home country telling them it was too early to surrender.

LMAO i guess the brigade is getting trigger itchy

[FairOpinion]

Read the rest:

"They were a motley bunch and you could barely describe them as soldiers - they were poorly equipped and didn't even have proper boots. Their physical condition was dreadful and they had obviously not had a square meal for ages"

Saddam is treating his own soldiers like slaves, and they didn't want to fight us. I feel sorry for them.
I wish someone had some sense and not sent them back.

[navydad]

I wonder if they were trained by the French....


They WERE French!

[strela]

Keeping common troopers equipped, fed, and shod costs money. Saddam has more important things on which to spend his cash (like keeping his personal Fedaykin fed/armed/shod).

[stlnative]

Chance are these Iraqi men are waiting just outside the fence on the Iraq side. They probably do not have a home to return to. Their wait won't be long now and the can re-surrender again very soon. I hope they are being fed something at least while they wait to get back across the fence.

[#3Fan]

The stunned Paras from 16 Air Assault Brigade were forced to tell the Iraqis they were not firing at them, and ordered them back to their home country telling them it was too early to surrender.

Sheesh, what about asylum?! They're dead now and this will only encourage others not to surrender when the war actually starts.