Posted on 03/26/2003 3:12:02 PM PST by pabianice
Subject: Fw: Real Iraq
> > Sent: Wednesday, March 26, 2003 5:10 PM >
> Subj: Funny. None of this has been reported by The Boston Globe...
> > > > "'We've been waiting for you for 10 years. What took you so long?' said an > > Iraqi man who, along with more than 500 others, surrendered near the > Rumaila > > oil fields. Many had written such phrases as 'U.S.A. O.K.' on their arms > or > > hands. Some even tried to kiss the hands of the nervous young Marines > > guarding them." > > Newsday, 3-24-03
> > "Ajami Saadoun Khlis, whose son and brother were executed under the Saddam > > regime, sobbed like a child on the shoulder of the Guardian's Egyptian > > translator. He mopped the tears but they kept coming. 'You just arrived,' > he > > said. 'You're late. What took you so long? God help you become victorious. > I > > want to say hello to Bush, to shake his hand. We came out of the grave.'" > > The Guardian, 3-22-03
> > "As Iraqi Americans reach out to their relatives in Baghdad and Basra, in > > Kirkuk and Irbil, some are hearing words they never thought possible: > Iraqis > > are speaking ill of Saddam Hussein. They're criticizing him out loud, on > the > > telephone, seemingly undeterred by fear of the Iraqi intelligence service > > and its tactics of torture for those disloyal to the Baath Party regime. > 'I > > was shocked,' said Zainab Al-Suwaij, executive director of the American > > Islamic Congress, a nonprofit group in Cambridge, Mass., that promotes > > interfaith and interethnic understanding. 'It's very dangerous. All the > > phones are tapped. But they are so excited.'" > > Los Angeles Times, 3-24-03
> > "'Me and my husband, an old man, have to stay at home because we are > afraid. > > We want the American government to remove Saddam Hussein from power and > kick > > these soldiers out of these hills.'" > > Fatma Omar, San Francisco Chronicle, 3-24-03
> > "'We're very happy. Saddam Hussein is no good. Saddam Hussein a butcher.'" > > Abdullah (only identification available), as he welcomed U.S. troops in > Iraq > > Associated Press, 3-21-03
> > "I have been waiting for this for 13 years. I hate him more than American > > government because I told you the Iraq government killed many people from > > Iraq. They just put (my brother) in jail for a year. After this, they > killed > > him because he don't want to go to the army because his brother is > American > > citizen, and his brother lives in United State." > > Ayid Alsultani, WFIE-14 television station in Evansville, Indiana, 3-24-03
> > "'(The trip) had shocked me back to reality.' (Some Iraqis) told me they > > would commit suicide if American bombing didn't start. They were willing > to > > see their homes demolished to gain their freedom from Saddam's bloody > > tyranny. They convinced me that Saddam was a monster the likes of which > the > > world had not seen since Stalin and Hitler. He and his sons are sick > > sadists. Their tales of slow torture and killing made me ill, such as > people > > put in a huge shredder for plastic products, feet first so they could hear > > their screams as bodies got chewed up from foot to head." > > Kenneth Joseph, anti-war demonstrator who traveled to Iraq with Japanese > > human shield volunteers, UPI, 3-21-03
> > "I was shocked when I first met a pro-war Iraqi in Baghdad - a taxi driver > > taking me back to my hotel late at night. 'Don't you listen to Powell on > > Voice of America radio?' he said. 'Of course the Americans don't want to > > bomb civilians. They want to bomb government and Saddam's palaces. We want > > America to bomb Saddam.' ... The driver's most emphatic statement was: > 'All > > Iraqi people want this war.'... Perhaps the most crushing thing we learned > > was that most ordinary Iraqis thought Saddam Hussein had paid us to come > to > > protest in Iraq. Although we explained that this was categorically not the > > case, I don't think he believed us. Later he asked me: 'Really, how much > did > > Saddam pay you to come?'" Daniel Pepper in an article "I was a naive fool > to > > be a human shield for Saddam," > > Sunday Telegraph, 3-23-2003
> > "As US forces push deep into Iraq, farmers and remote villagers are > greeting > > them with white flags and waves. But the ground forces, backed by massive > > artillery and air support, are encountering pockets of resistance from > > Iraq's military. One man, about 30, yesterday ran from a field towards a > US > > convoy shouting insults about Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Other men and > > boys stood in fields waving white flags. In keeping with the local Muslim > > custom, no girls or women appeared from their houses." > > Lindsay Murdoch in southern Iraq, The Sun-Herald, 3-23-2003
> > "....The return of the Americans to Safwan was also an occasion for hope, > > even if mixed with wariness. 'Saddam finished!' shouted another young > > [Iraqi] man, who gave his name as Fares. 'Americans are here now.' His > > friend, Shebah, added, in broken English, 'Saddam killed people.'" > > Washington Post, 3-23-03
> > "Coming into Basra as part of a massive military convoy, I encountered a > > stream of young men, dressed in what appeared to be Iraqi army uniforms, > > applauding the US marines as they swept past in tanks." > > BBC reporter, 3-22-03
> > "Ajami Saadoun Khlis, whose son and brother were executed under the Saddam > > regime, sobbed like a child on the shoulder of the Guardian's Egyptian > > translator. He mopped the tears but they kept coming. 'You just arrived,' > he > > said. 'You're late. What took you so long? God help you become victorious. > I > > want to say hello to Bush, to shake his hand. We came out of the grave.'" > > The Guadian, 3-22-03
> > "As hundreds of coalition troops swept in just after dawn, the heartache > of > > a town that felt the hardest edges of Saddam Hussein's rule seemed to > burst > > forth, with villagers running into the streets to celebrate in a kind of > > grim ecstasy, laughing and weeping in long guttural cries. > > "'Oooooo, peace be upon you, peace be upon you, peace you, oooooo,' Zahra > > Khafi, a 68-year-old mother of five, cried to a group of American and > > British visitors who came to the town shortly after Mr. Hussein's army > > appeared to melt away. 'I'm not afraid of Saddam anymore.'" > > New York Times, 3-22-03
> > "We've been driving since dawn today in southern Iraq, and so far we've > come > > across scores of Bedouin herdsmen. We've been greeted by friendly > greetings > > of 'inshallah' and 'salaam aleikum'...we've seen both women and men waving > > greetings and shouting greeting to the U.S. troops." > > Radio Free Europe correspondent Ron Synovitz, 3-21-03
> > "They told me that Saddam Hussein is not allowing anyone to leave Baghdad. > I > > don't fear the Americans. I was in Baghdad in the war in 1991 and I saw > how > > surgical an operation it was. Saddam Hussein has persecuted everyone > except > > his own family. Kurds, Arab Shiites, Turkoman - everybody has suffered. > But > > our country was a rich country and we can be rich again.'" > > Financial Times Information, 3-21-03
> > "These are US Marines being greeted if not with garlands, with hand shakes > > by residents of the town in the deep-south corner of Iraq." > > CBS News, 3-21-03
> > "One little boy, who had chocolate melted all over his face after a > soldier > > gave him some treats from his ration kit, kept pointing at the sky, saying > > 'Ameriki, Ameriki.'" > > Associated Press, 3-21-03
> > "Milling crowds of men and boys watched as the Marines attached ropes on > the > > front of their Jeeps to one portrait and then backed up, peeling the Iraqi > > leader's black-and-white metal image off a frame. Some locals briefly > joined > > Maj. David 'Bull' Gurfein in a new cheer. 'Iraqis! Iraqis! Iraqis!' > Gurfein > > yelled, pumping his fist in the air... > > "....A few men and boys ventured out, putting makeshift white flags on > their > > pickup trucks or waving white T-shirts out truck windows....'Americans > very > > good,' Ali Khemy said. 'Iraq wants to be free. Some chanted, 'Ameriki! > > Ameriki!' > > "Gurfein playfully traded pats with a disabled man and turned down a > dinner > > invitation from townspeople. 'Friend, friend,' he told them in Arabic > > learned in the first Gulf War. > > "'No Saddam Hussein!' one young man in headscarf told Gurfein. 'Bush!'" > > Associated Press, 3-21-03
> > "Iraqi citizens were shown 'tearing down a poster of Saddam Hussein' and > > Dexter Filkins of The New York Times was interviewed, saying that Iraqis > he > > had seen were 'hugging and kissing every American they could find.'" > > NBC Nightly News, 3-21-03
> > "Here was a chance to stop and I clambered down, eager to get a first word > > from an Iraqi of what he thought of this whole affair. 'As salaam alekum,' > I > > said in the traditional greeting, then ran out of Arabic and quickly > added, > > 'Do you speak English?' No go. But with a fumbled exchange of gestures we > > slowly managed to communicate. Thumbs up for the American tanks, thumbs > down > > for Saddam Hussein. Then he pointed north into the distance and said > > 'Baghdad.'" > > Reuters, 3-21-03
> > "A line of dancing Kurdish men, staring directly into the mouth of the > Iraqi > > guns less than a mile away, defiantly burned tires, sang traditional new > > years songs and chanted, 'Topple Saddam.' > > "March 21 is the Kurdish New Year....And bonfires have long been a symbol > of > > liberation in this part of the world. 'We're celebrating [Nawroz] a > national > > holiday,' said Samad Abdulla Rahim, 22. 'But today we also celebrate the > > attack on Saddam.' > > "Many expressed hope that deadly fire would light the night sky over > Baghdad > > in the days ahead, bringing an end to the Kurd's epic 30-year struggle > > against Hussein and his Baath Party. 'I can't wait for the U.S. planes to > > come and liberate Kirkuk,' said Shahab Ahmed Sherif, a 33-year-old Kurd > who > > had fled the oil-rich city four days earlier." > > Copley News Service, 3-21-03
> > Unidentified Iraqi man: "Help us live better than this life. Let us have > > freedom." > > ABC World News Tonight, 3-21-03 > >
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.