NBC News: Regular Army in No. Iraq Already Beginning to Surrender; Little Food, Equipment Broken

NBC News | March 16, 2003 | Fred Francis

[Timesink]

Fred Francis reporting live as I type this from Iraq's Northern Front.

Many members of the Iraqi regular army are already coming across to surrender. They report no food. Morale near zero. Everyone from the highest commanders to the lowest privates that remain are openly discussing plans to surrender en masse the moment war starts.

One commander says he has 27 tanks; only 6 work.

Francis reports that US forces expect near-ZERO military response from Iraqi forces, except from the Republican Guard around Baghdad itself. The reason: They actually think they WON in 1991 because we didn't go after them. (Even though that was by UN fiat, not a military decision.) They will fight, unless they've been shocked and awed, heh heh heh.

[Tom Bombadil]

Execution Squads lined up behind their troops to shoot anybody who tries to retreat or surrender.

He may need execution squads for the execution squads.

[pbear8]

I am NOT in the mood for another "Mother of all surrenders". How boring.

Boring - yes, but I don't blame them, in fact, I rather respect their decision. Why die for Saddam, what a waste. Live, go home to your families.

[Illbay]

No. As he said, this is a "real time" report. And this is to the north, not the south, where the story was from last week (at the Kuwaiti border).

[Beck_isright]

Must be French tanks.

[Conservababe]

Christiane's a phony anyway....that's not even her real name! Maybe if she used her real name it might detract from her phony sincerity.

This woman is a journalistic quack. A caller to Boortz said that she actually interviewed her own husband, without revealing their relationship. And CNN let her do it without a disclaimer.

Seems her husband was a spokesman for Madeline Albright and traveled to the mideast for one trip. CNN announced him as a middle eastern expert.

LOL

[Illbay]

I'm hoping Saddam gets a bullet through his brain before an American shot is fired, and we get a signal from the provisional Iraqi government asking for "coalition assistance" in administering the country until a permanent government can be formed.

I really DON'T want to go to war, except as a last resort. But Saddam has to go, one way or another, and we need to get in there, root out the terrorists that we all know are in there, and get the documentation that proves the French and Germans have been in bed with Saddam since the end of the Gulf War.

[Illbay]

"Don't surrender or we'll kill you."

A sure-fire morale booster.

[Illbay]

Hanan Ashrawi?

[Inspectorette]

Most hotels have comment cards in the room that ask what they could do to "make your next stay more enjoyable". Let 'em know in no uncertain terms that until and unless they add Fox News Channel to their lineup, you won't be staying there again.

Of course, it helps to tell them that, other than that, the place was just wonderful, the service was great, etc., etc., etc. HOWEVER...no Fox News, no more Sam ;-)

[sinkspur]

I forget her name

"Dragheeta" something.

[Fury]

I really DON'T want to go to war, except as a last resort. But Saddam has to go, one way or another, and we need to get in there, root out the terrorists that we all know are in there, and get the documentation that proves the French and Germans have been in bed with Saddam since the end of the Gulf War.

Thanks for a cogent post. War should be a last resort. Sadly, there seem to be some folks that are looking forward to a war, and I've seen mention of people stocking up on food so they can sit in front of the TV and "watch the action".

Iraq's military is a fraction of what it was in 1991. Please note that according to Pollack's book "The Threatening Storm", Saddam pressed his scientists in 1991 to try and build one nuclear device that could be fired at Israel in a last parting shot, if things came to that. They did not, and the device could not be built in any event.

12 years have elapsed since that time and I believe Iraq has developed it's WMD capabilities in some fashion. The Allies WILL prevail in Iraq, I believe that, I just hope they can get to the Iraqi Command and Control and/or Saddam as soon as possible so that any attempt to launch WND can be blunted, and so that this conflict does not get others involved or result in a WMD attack by Iraq.

[Illbay]

I wonder.

If Iraq DOES fire off such a "parting shot" at Israel, its goal would obviously be to get them to respond, so that the Arab nations--some of them at least--might "rise up".

Israel says that if attacked, it will respond this time, unlike in the Gulf War.

What response do you believe Israel would make, and do you think that it would widen the conflict to a full-blown multi-nation regional war?

[all_mighty_dollar]

>>>One commander says he has 27 tanks; only 6 work.

Gee, didn't the French send replacement parts for the tanks, too? They're slipping.<<<<


Apparently France did send parts!

[Mr.Clark]

Fred Francis did a good report yesterday from Northern Iraq. He showed the Kurds training for battle. I know it was for the cameras, but they looked really psyched up, relatively well armed infantry too. He also pointed out how thousands of Kurds had been pushed out of Kirkuk over the last few years, and many had been slaughtered. The thing I find a little troubling is the fact that Saddam moved thousands of Sunni Arabs into the city to solidify his power base. That could be a major problem, because if the Kurds take that city, which is very important to the Kurds....well, let's just hope those thousands of Arabs get the hell out now.

[ewing]

And Tikrit defended by Saddams younger son Qusay doesn't look like it will put up much of a fight either.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

So this is how we'll be able to find Saddumb: look where the real soldiers are concentrated. There's no use him wasting the RG on his body-doubles, I guess.

[GOPJ]

bump

[GOPJ]

Here's the problem: WMD's are a wild card,

One commander says he has 27 tanks; only 6 work.

[Kevin Curry]

Here's the problem: WMD's are a wild card,

Saddam says he doesn't have any.

[WarrenC]

They'll throw down their weapons too, when they see a sky full of attack helicopters.

Yeah, but what if he has another execution squad lined up behind the first execution squad? Ever think of that?