Saddam Agents, Militants Plan 'Vicious' Poll Attacks

channels.netscape.com ^ | Jan. 16, 2004 | Michael Georgy

[crushelits]

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein's former agents are funding a sophisticated alliance with foreign Muslim militants to carry out vicious attacks on polling stations during Iraq's elections, the deputy prime minister said on Sunday. Barham Salih said intelligence gathered from dozens of Saddam's former intelligence and army officers and foreign fighters arrested in the past week points to a major offensive during the polls. Members of Saddam's toppled Baath Party and foreign militants inspired by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his key ally in Iraq, Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, may have suffered setbacks but have plenty of cash. "We do have, I think, some good ideas about what they are planning to do as a way of attacking polling stations and creating an insecure environment to prevent the population from going to the polling stations," he told Reuters in an interview. "They have vicious plans to derail the process. Bin Laden recently came out with a very clear statement that he does not want elections to be held in Iraq." Iraq's U.S.-backed government is pinning its hopes on the Jan. 30 elections to usher in a new era of democracy after decades of Saddam's iron-fisted rule.  But security fears have overshadowed the political process.

Iraqi policemen inspect a damaged police vehicle after it came under attack  when a roadside bomb exploded and injured two of their colleagues in the southern city of Basra, January 8, 2005. U.S.-led  multinational forces have detained a key leader in the Muslim militant network in Iraq headed by al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the U.S. military said Saturday.

[NonValueAdded]

They must have the moveon.org playbook. They were pretty vicious here in Florida.

[2banana]

They are bringing in 10,000 lawyers?

[SevenMinusOne]

We are going to have another few very tough weeks ahead (and the ugly/partisan MSM will do all they can to help promote the actions of these thugs and killers).

[Socratic]

Iraqi citizens should barricade the streets in a two block radius from each polling place and defend the posts with their lives. If they were worthy of freedom, the inhabitants of the various neighborhoods would orgsanize themselves to establish their new government. Will this happen? No.

[kingu]

Ooh, it's shuffle and dance time at Rooters. Those aren't terrorists; they're Saddam loyalists! Yeah, Rooters, let me guess, you conducted a poll of blood thirsty throat slicers and the majority of them wanted Saddam back in power?

Oh, right, can't say that since it'd link Saddam to terrorists. Some of these reporters are just absolute trash.

[Paladin2]

If there was ever a need for absentee ballots, this may be it (except we didn't do a census like we and the Iraqis should'a).

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"Saddam Hussein's former agents..."

Aren't these "agents" mostly dead? Entirely dead? A little bit dead? Come on Python-ites! Help me out here! ;)

[rwfromkansas]

I think this is common sense.

Election day will be hell.

We had better get hundreds of troops at every polling place, or there will be chaos.

[Socratic]

"...(except we didn't do a census like we and the Iraqis should'a)."

I think much more of creative planning could have been done, but one thing I believe to be a must - nothing on Earth should delay this election.

[garyhope]

I wonder if they're smart enough to figure out that this may backfire on them and make regular Iraquis even more tired of Islamocascism and thuggery and more desireous of freedom and democracy.

Or will the Muslim fascists ever give up their hatred and victimhood. Hateful, primitive, backward zealots and losers. They want to turn the world into nasty dungheap.

[airborne]

Probably funded by George Soros.

[Dark Fired Tobacco]

Of course, simply spreading rumors of pending attacks is much easier and cheaper than actually carrying out the attacks. The terrorists will be expending everything they have available over the next two weeks. Part of the strategy may be to generate fear and doubt where they cannot succeed physically, then try to hit a few selected spots early on election day.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

If the insurgents plan an election day offensive, it may resemble the Tet Offensive in Vietnam 1968.

The enemy suffered a crushing defeat then but the complicit American media played it up as an American defeat.

This time the Dan Rathers of the world have been stripped of their fake objectivity and stand naked in front of the American people.

No matter how violent the January 30 election day in Iraq, by February 1 the insurgents will suffer a rapid decline and soon will become obsolete.

[Fee]

After 30 Jan, the Kurdish/Shia government will allow the Sunnis to participate, but they will also demand that the Sunnis turn in their insurgents. A grace period will be allowed, but the Iraqi government will demand loyalty and order, otherwise the Shiite Militias will conduct vigilante justice (to avenge the death of Shiites who died near certain Sunni strongholds). If the Sunnis think the US Marines were tough, the Shiite Militiamen are worst. Our troops will pull out of Iraq, under the sound of gunfire and women screaming from Sunnis villages. If the UN attempts to stop the massacre of the Sunnis, the US should exercise its veto power. Payback is a b###h Sunnis dogs.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

Our troops will pull out of Iraq, under the sound of gunfire and women screaming from Sunnis villages.

The Sunnis are doomed.

Saddam's legacy is their annihilation.

It might have been different had they cooperated early on in the reconstruction.

They chose poorly!