[Nasional-e] Battle-hardened Iraqis ready to fight

Wed Sep 25 20:12:11 2002

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Battle-hardened Iraqis ready to fight

Behind the bellicose threats many are waiting for Saddam to be toppled

Ewen MacAskill in Baghdad

A frenzied crowd of 40,000 at Iraq's biggest football match last weekend =
launched into a chant vowing to resist a United States invasion. =
"Saddam, Saddam, we will spill our blood for you," they shouted as they =
danced and jumped, waving flags in their team's colours and placards =
proclaiming loyalty to the Iraqi leader.
A giant black and white portrait of Saddam Hussein stood high above the =
stadium. Many of the supporters wore their team's strip, but some had =
t-shirts with pictures of President Saddam and one had the leader's head =
printed across a traditional Arab gown. Another chant went up: "We will =
become martyrs for you. America can you hear us?" If US military and =
political leaders planning for war could have heard them, it might have =
given them cause to pause. The crowd echoed sentiments that can be heard =
all over Baghdad: they will fight any US invasion street by street, =
using any weapons they have.
This is the dilemma facing military planners and their political masters =
in Washington and London. Will the 10 million-strong population of =
Baghdad fight, exacting a heavy toll on American soldiers trying to =
enter their sprawling city, or will the residents, desperate for regime =
change after 20 years of totalitarian rule, stay indoors, silently =
grateful for the arrival of the Americans?
Interviews throughout Baghdad, from the slums to its richest streets, =
from shoddy marketplaces to the football stadium, reveal a city divided.
Isaac Toma, 47, was in the rowdiest section of the Zawra stadium, in the =
centre of Baghdad. He supports Jawwiya, the Iraqi air force team.
He is a mechanical engineer with the ministry of technology, a father of =
three, a lover of Dickens and a Christian. He described President Saddam =
as the "pillar" that held Iraq together and said that the chants vowing =
to fight represented real intentions. "We=20
 have an army of 1 million," he said. "If they kill even 1,000 American =
soldiers, the Americans will go home. They are cowardly. They cannot =
take those kind of casualties."
The fans around him agreed. All of these men are used to war and claim =
not to be worried by bombing. To prove the point, they recall another =
football match four years ago when the same two sides were playing, and =
the game was interrupted by a missile hitting Baghdad. The players =
stopped for a minute, but the crowd bayed at them to continue. A =
minute's extra time was played to compensate.
Hours before the match started, in another part of Baghdad, Abu Hamid, =
33, a car rental agent and a former soldier who fought in both the =
Iran-Iraq war and the Gulf war, also predicted that an assault on the =
city would end in carnage. He appeared to relish the prospect of taking =
on US troops: "We are prepared for the soldiers if they come to Baghdad. =
It will be Muslims against the Jews. If we do not have weapons, we will =
use petrol bombs, or make spears, like the old times: anything we can =
attack them with."
About 100 metres from Mr Hamid's office, lounging on a car bonnet, =
Jassim Thamar, 22, pledged the Iraqis would put up a tough fight for =
their homeland. He, like three of his six brothers, is a member of the =
elite 50,000-strong Republican Guard. "We are not afraid of them. Tell =
Blair, we are ready for anything," he said.
Initially embarrassed to find himself the focus of Western media =
attention, he quickly regained his composure. He was only nine at the =
time of the Gulf war. "To be frank, we were afraid then, but we are used =
to [the bombing] now," he said. "I am proud=20
 to be in the Republican Guard. If the US comes, I will fight them."
But there is another side to Baghdad, one where the residents look =
forward to the day when President Saddam has gone.
Fear of the Iraqi leader's secret police is widespread. A surprising =
number of people will talk to Western journalists, but many =
apologetically refuse to engage in conversation. A teacher, with typical =
generosity, extended an invitation to meet his family but then withdrew =
it on the advice of a friend. "I am not afraid but my friend says I =
should be," he said.
It is rare for anyone to voice public hostility to the regime, except in =
oblique references, and even rarer to hear anyone talk of revolt. A =
student,=20
 braver than most, said he and his friends would remain at home if =
American troops were on the outskirts of Baghdad.
There is resentment between the better-off districts and the bulk of =
Baghdad's residents, who live in slums. It is the slum-dwellers who have =
suffered most from the United Nations sanctions, and they blame the UN =
and the US, but also the Iraqi government. The commonest complaint is =
over a high level of unemployment in the poorest districts.
The most dangerous divide in the event of invasion is the tension =
between Shia Muslims, who make up more than half of Baghdad's =
population, and Sunni Muslims, to which group President Saddam belongs.=20
 Saddam City, a suburb of Baghdad that is home to 3 million, is the =
place likeliest to stage a revolt: it is entirely Shia, and 30% of the =
capital's population is crammed in there. It is the poorest part of the =
city, and the Shias feel that they have been discriminated against.
In spite of the fervour of those in the Zawra stadium, Iraq's history, =
especially the revolt of the Shias after the Gulf war that saw Ba'athist =
party members being hanged in the streets, combined with the sullen =
resentment of the regime among educated Iraqis, suggests that many =
people will stay at home if the US arrives, or even rise up at the last =
minute if they were confident that President Saddam was definitely on =
his way out.
Iraqis, both those who vow to fight to the death and those who say they =
will stay at home, are united on one point: they profess not to want =
war.
Life has become marginally better over the past two years as sanctions =
have crumbled and there is a reluctance to see bombing reverse those =
gains. They fear too that blood could be shed as people take revenge =
after President Saddam goes.
Towards the end of the football match Mr Toma mentioned Brecht's Mother =
Courage. "Brecht said some people benefit from war. Brecht is wrong," Mr =
Toma said. "No one benefits from war."

The Guardian Weekly 26-9-2002, page 3

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<DIV> Battle-hardened Iraqis ready to fight Behind the =
bellicose threats=20
many are waiting for Saddam to be toppled Ewen MacAskill in=20
Baghdad A frenzied crowd of 40,000 at Iraq's biggest football =
match last=20
weekend launched into a chant vowing to resist a United States invasion. =

"Saddam, Saddam, we will spill our blood for you," they shouted as they =
danced=20
and jumped, waving flags in their team's colours and placards =
proclaiming=20
loyalty to the Iraqi leader. A giant black and white portrait of =
Saddam=20
Hussein stood high above the stadium. Many of the supporters wore their =
team's=20
strip, but some had t-shirts with pictures of President Saddam and one =
had the=20
leader's head printed across a traditional Arab gown. Another chant went =
up: "We=20
will become martyrs for you. America can you hear us?" If US military =
and=20
political leaders planning for war could have heard them, it might have =
given=20
them cause to pause. The crowd echoed sentiments that can be heard all =
over=20
Baghdad: they will fight any US invasion street by street, using any =
weapons=20
they have. This is the dilemma facing military planners and their =
political=20
masters in Washington and London. Will the 10 million-strong population =
of=20
Baghdad fight, exacting a heavy toll on American soldiers trying to =
enter their=20
sprawling city, or will the residents, desperate for regime change after =
20=20
years of totalitarian rule, stay indoors, silently grateful for the =
arrival of=20
the Americans? Interviews throughout Baghdad, from the slums to its =
richest=20
streets, from shoddy marketplaces to the football stadium, reveal a city =

divided. Isaac Toma, 47, was in the rowdiest section of the Zawra =
stadium, in=20
the centre of Baghdad. He supports Jawwiya, the Iraqi air force =
team. He is a=20
mechanical engineer with the ministry of technology, a father of three, =
a lover=20
of Dickens and a Christian. He described President Saddam as the =
"pillar" that=20
held Iraq together and said that the chants vowing to fight represented =
real=20
intentions. "We &nbsp;have an army of 1 million," he said. "If they =
kill=20
even 1,000 American soldiers, the Americans will go home. They are =
cowardly.=20
They cannot take those kind of casualties." The fans around him =
agreed. All=20
of these men are used to war and claim not to be worried by bombing. To =
prove=20
the point, they recall another football match four years ago when the =
same two=20
sides were playing, and the game was interrupted by a missile hitting =
Baghdad.=20
The players stopped for a minute, but the crowd bayed at them to =
continue. A=20
minute's extra time was played to compensate. Hours before the match =
started,=20
in another part of Baghdad, Abu Hamid, 33, a car rental agent and a =
former=20
soldier who fought in both the Iran-Iraq war and the Gulf war, also =
predicted=20
that an assault on the city would end in carnage. He appeared to relish =
the=20
prospect of taking on US troops: "We are prepared for the soldiers if =
they come=20
to Baghdad. It will be Muslims against the Jews. If we do not have =
weapons, we=20
will use petrol bombs, or make spears, like the old times: anything we =
can=20
attack them with." About 100 metres from Mr Hamid's office, lounging =
on a car=20
bonnet, Jassim Thamar, 22, pledged the Iraqis would put up a tough fight =
for=20
their homeland. He, like three of his six brothers, is a member of the =
elite=20
50,000-strong Republican Guard. "We are not afraid of them. Tell Blair, =
we are=20
ready for anything," he said. Initially embarrassed to find himself =
the focus=20
of Western media attention, he quickly regained his composure. He was =
only nine=20
at the time of the Gulf war. "To be frank, we were afraid then, but we =
are used=20
to [the bombing] now," he said. "I am proud &nbsp;to be in the =
Republican=20
Guard. If the US comes, I will fight them." But there is another side =
to=20
Baghdad, one where the residents look forward to the day when President =
Saddam=20
has gone. Fear of the Iraqi leader's secret police is widespread. A=20
surprising number of people will talk to Western journalists, but many=20
apologetically refuse to engage in conversation. A teacher, with typical =

generosity, extended an invitation to meet his family but then withdrew =
it on=20
the advice of a friend. "I am not afraid but my friend says I should =
be," he=20
said. It is rare for anyone to voice public hostility to the regime, =
except=20
in oblique references, and even rarer to hear anyone talk of revolt. A =
student,=20
 &nbsp;braver than most, said he and his friends would remain at home =
if=20
American troops were on the outskirts of Baghdad. There is resentment =
between=20
the better-off districts and the bulk of Baghdad's residents, who live =
in slums.=20
It is the slum-dwellers who have suffered most from the United Nations=20
sanctions, and they blame the UN and the US, but also the Iraqi =
government. The=20
commonest complaint is over a high level of unemployment in the poorest=20
districts. The most dangerous divide in the event of invasion is the =
tension=20
between Shia Muslims, who make up more than half of Baghdad's =
population, and=20
Sunni Muslims, to which group President Saddam belongs. &nbsp;Saddam =
City, a=20
suburb of Baghdad that is home to 3 million, is the place likeliest to =
stage a=20
revolt: it is entirely Shia, and 30% of the capital's population is =
crammed in=20
there. It is the poorest part of the city, and the Shias feel that they =
have=20
been discriminated against. In spite of the fervour of those in the =
Zawra=20
stadium, Iraq's history, especially the revolt of the Shias after the =
Gulf war=20
that saw Ba'athist party members being hanged in the streets, combined =
with the=20
sullen resentment of the regime among educated Iraqis, suggests that =
many people=20
will stay at home if the US arrives, or even rise up at the last minute =
if they=20
were confident that President Saddam was definitely on his way =
out. Iraqis,=20
both those who vow to fight to the death and those who say they will =
stay at=20
home, are united on one point: they profess not to want war. Life has =
become=20
marginally better over the past two years as sanctions have crumbled and =
there=20
is a reluctance to see bombing reverse those gains. They fear too that =
blood=20
could be shed as people take revenge after President Saddam =
goes. Towards the=20
end of the football match Mr Toma mentioned Brecht's Mother Courage. =
"Brecht=20
said some people benefit from war. Brecht is wrong," Mr Toma said. "No =
one=20
benefits from war." The Guardian Weekly 26-9-2002, page=20
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