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To: Pitchfork
Neil MacFarquhar notes in passing, "Most Iraqi households own at least one gun."

The entire argument is built on a false premise.

From Wash Post

"The large-scale distribution of weapons began during the war with Iran, when the government gave Iraqi-made AK-47s to decommissioned soldiers, members of the ruling Baath Party and tribal leaders. But it has dramatically escalated in recent months. Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz said last month that officials had handed out "hundreds of thousands of weapons" since the Bush administration began deploying additional forces to the Persian Gulf.

One group largely left out of the gun distribution has been Shiite Muslims, who make up about 55 percent of the population but whose allegiance has been questioned by Hussein and other top leaders, who are predominantly Sunni Muslims. In 1991, after the Persian Gulf War, Shiites rebelled against government forces in several southern cities. Today, some Shiites still are quietly loyal to a large opposition group based in Iran, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, whose leader has vowed to send fighters into Iraq to oppose Hussein if U.S. forces invade. "

First the information is sourced from the Iraqi government.
Secondly, it's a safe bet to assume that only loyal Baath Party members have guns.

244 posted on 03/14/2003 9:41:30 PM PST by Rightwing Conspiratr1
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To: Rightwing Conspiratr1
Considering that Shiia cleric in southern Iraq have just issued a fatwa against US forces, Saddam may want to consider making weapons available to them.
251 posted on 03/14/2003 9:46:18 PM PST by Pitchfork
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