Listed as SAYF AL-DIN FULAYYIH HASAN TAHA AL-RAWI, Republican Guard Chief of Staff
Waiting for MSM to pick this up and air interview prime time. Not holding breath.
Easy. We kicked the cr@p out of them.
The better interview would be of whatever Iraqi is still alive who managed to hear Saddam being given really, really bad advice by the French that if he just ignored President Bush’s ultimatum, that Saddam would prevail and Bush wouldn’t really invade.
Some really, really low IQ’s are out there in the world...
“where the Iraqi Army’s weapons and equipment went following the occupation of the Iraqi capital.”
What weapons and equipment? I thought it didn’t exist. You know Bush lied and all that.
For once, I think I actually want to figure out where Al Jazeera is on DirectTV (if it is).
The democrats love Al-Jazeera but this story they will claim is false and planted by Bush’s black ops boys.
I look forward to his debriefing no matter what it is he ends up saying.
PING
Being interviewed, no doubt, by Clifford Al-Irvini?
Al-Jazeera Satellite Television at 1707 gmt on 8 April carries an exclusive interview with General Sayf-al-Din al-Rawi, former commander of the Iraqi Republican Guard, on the 4th anniversary of the fall of Baghdad. Al-Rawi is shown sitting in the shadow. Al-Jazeera TV carries a screen caption saying that Al-Rawi's picture was obscured "upon his request."
Asked about the general situation of the Iraqi military commanders during the 48-hour ultimatum US President George Bush gave in March 2003 for Saddam Husayn and his two sons to leave Iraq, Al-Rawi says this ultimatum served the former Iraqi Army to be more prepared for confrontations with the US Army.
He adds that a meeting chaired by former Iraqi President Saddam Husayn was convened in the Republican Palace following Bush's ultimatum.
He quotes Saddam as saying that "if the enemy manages to achieve its goal, new leaders from the people will emerge" and will force "the enemy" to leave Iraq, and that "the United States will fall."
Al-Rawi confirms that the Iraqi military or political commanders did not convene any meeting in Al-Dawrah, which the US forces announced as the "target of opportunity" to hit Saddam and other Iraqi commanders.
Al-Rawi notes that several meetings were held with commanders of the air defence and the Republican Guard forces and chaired by Qusay Saddam, who was the supervisor of the Republican Guard forces then.
Al-Rawi speaks of the military tactics used during the first days of the US strike on Baghdad and how the Iraqi Army dealt with the US bombardments on the city.
He notes that during the first US strike on Baghdad, code-named as Shock and Awe, the casualties among the Iraqi Army were "limited."
Al-Rawi then speaks of the distribution of roles among the various corps, regiments, and brigades of the former Iraqi Army during the 2003 US strike on Baghdad.
At 1734 gmt, Al-Rawi speaks of the distribution of the Republican Guard forces across Iraq before and during the 2003 war.
Al-Rawi says that if Qusay Saddam had been tasked with defending Baghdad only, defending Baghdad would have taken a different course. He adds that Qusay's efforts were dispersed and his focus was diverted from the centre to the outskirts of Baghdad.
Speaking of chemical weapons and weapons of mass destruction, Al-Rawi says: "We are accused of possessing weapons of mass destruction while we have none. Yet, they struck us." He adds that the political leadership in Iraq showed the "highest degree of flexibility" to avoid the war.
Commenting on the Iranian role in the region, Al-Rawi says that "Iran is the enemy of the entire Arab nation."
Speaking of the Jordanian role in the US war on Iraq, Al-Rawi says that some US defence forces and collaborators entered Iraq through Jordan.
Asked about the Iraqi Army commanders' expectations about the US attack, Al-Rawi says that the ground offensive by the US forces on the first or second day of the war was not expected. He adds that the Iraqi Army did not expect the US forces to launch air strikes and ground offensives simultaneously.
At 1755 gmt, Al-Jazeera TV ends what it says is the first part of the exclusive interview with General Al-Rawi. Al-Jazeera's correspondent Abd-al-Azim Muhammad says the second part will discuss the remaining days of confrontations between the Iraqi forces and the US Army in the 2003 war on Iraq.
Source: Al-Jazeera TV, Doha, in Arabic 1707 gmt 8 Apr 07
Thanks Fred.