# Preview of the horrors to come in an Iraqi war! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 10, 2003, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preview-of-the-horrors-to-come-in-an-iraqi-war/160179 "2003-03-10T00:26:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preview-of-the-horrors-to-come-in-an-iraqi-war/160179/1 "2003-03-10T00:26:13Z")
[These guys must have been trained by the French…](http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/news/page.cfm?objectid=12715943&method=full&siteid=106694) ---
**Author:** ![SpaceGhostofArrakis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@SpaceGhostofArrakis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpaceGhostofArrakis)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preview-of-the-horrors-to-come-in-an-iraqi-war/160179/2 "2003-03-10T00:36:39Z")
Saw That. Poor guiys were probaly sent back to their deaths… ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preview-of-the-horrors-to-come-in-an-iraqi-war/160179/3 "2003-03-10T00:50:32Z")
Well, call me a softy, but I think this is a very sad story. Like SpaceGhost says, these guys are probably dead by now. And the fact that they surrendered so easily speaks volumes of the resolve of the Iraqi forces: not at all willing to die for country and leader. The reference to the French is, of course, the epitome of good humour and class. ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preview-of-the-horrors-to-come-in-an-iraqi-war/160179/4 "2003-03-10T00:54:09Z")
Call me naiive, but why would they be dead now? This story just shows how much resistance the allied forces can expect to meet from the average Iraqi soldier. ---
**Author:** ![DreadCthulhu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preview-of-the-horrors-to-come-in-an-iraqi-war/160179/5 "2003-03-10T01:10:05Z")
This article just made my day. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preview-of-the-horrors-to-come-in-an-iraqi-war/160179/6 "2003-03-10T01:13:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by samarm \* > **Call me naiive, but why would they be dead now?** Because Sadam doesn’t really like public humiliation of his forces, I’m afraid. > [@](#): > > \*\*This story just shows how much resistance the allied forces can expect to meet from the average Iraqi soldier. \*\* Yes, it does. But if all is well, it’s just going to be harmless precision bombing without any actual hand to hand combat. Right… ? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preview-of-the-horrors-to-come-in-an-iraqi-war/160179/7 "2003-03-10T01:14:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by samarm \* > \*\*Call me naiive, but why would they be dead now? > \*\* I’ve heard that Saddam executed anyone who surrendered in the last war as cowards. I have absolutely no idea if there’s any credible evidence out there to back that up or not. ---
**Author:** ![Ben\_Hicks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbce88/32.png) [@Ben\_Hicks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ben_Hicks)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preview-of-the-horrors-to-come-in-an-iraqi-war/160179/8 "2003-03-10T01:18:34Z")
**Samarm** - Saddam would most likely kill them for ‘treachery’ if he found out. Or because he didn’t like their haircuts. Or because their moustaches weren’t properly trimmed. Or because their middle names sounded funny. Or because… ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preview-of-the-horrors-to-come-in-an-iraqi-war/160179/9 "2003-03-10T01:19:05Z")
> [@](#): > > Yes, it does. But if all is well, it’s just going to be harmless precision bombing without any actual hand to hand combat. Right… ? My sarcasm detector registered a slight blip, but I think it may be malfunctioning. 🙂 Precision bombing means that only military targets will be hit: airbases, weapons dumps, SAM sites, etc. I would suggest that this means very little collateral damage, no? I guess that ground forces would then move in, and take POWs as they meet them. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preview-of-the-horrors-to-come-in-an-iraqi-war/160179/10 "2003-03-10T01:19:40Z")
Correct me if I’m wrong, please, but isn’t the _Mirror_ a tabloid of some sort? Can we get a better source for this story? Yes, it sounds fairly plausible, remembering the last war, but I’m going to have to hold off believing this until I see a better source for it. ---
**Author:** ![Ben\_Hicks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbce88/32.png) [@Ben\_Hicks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ben_Hicks)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preview-of-the-horrors-to-come-in-an-iraqi-war/160179/11 "2003-03-10T01:21:33Z")
> [@](#): > > Precision bombing means that only military targets will be hit: airbases, weapons dumps, SAM sites, etc. I would suggest that this means very little collateral damage, no? That depends on precisely _where_ your weapons dumps are. If they happen to be situated right behind hospitals, schools or Chinese Embassies then… ---
**Author:** ![Ben\_Hicks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbce88/32.png) [@Ben\_Hicks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ben_Hicks)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preview-of-the-horrors-to-come-in-an-iraqi-war/160179/12 "2003-03-10T01:25:45Z")
…indeed anywhere within a hundred miles of a Chinese Embassy [sub]God, I HATE not having an edit function[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preview-of-the-horrors-to-come-in-an-iraqi-war/160179/13 "2003-03-10T01:28:53Z")
**samarm** , that would seem like an ideal scenario. However, it would appear that quite a few Iraqi civilians were killed in the first Gulf War. And [look what happens if an informed estimate is a tad too high for moral comfort](http://stacks.msnbc.com/news/869570.asp). ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preview-of-the-horrors-to-come-in-an-iraqi-war/160179/14 "2003-03-10T01:31:03Z")
Hmm… that’s bad, but if she’d been an official in the Iraqi government then she’d probably have been more than just fired. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preview-of-the-horrors-to-come-in-an-iraqi-war/160179/15 "2003-03-10T01:35:17Z")
Well, perhaps, but that’s hardly the point. My point is, that IF the US (or whatever passes for “Allied Forces” these days) attacks under the premise of “precision bombing”, they’d better have better aim than they had 10 years ago. Everybody wants to get rid of Hussein, but not everyone is willing to do so at the cost of tens of thousands of Iraqi lives. ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preview-of-the-horrors-to-come-in-an-iraqi-war/160179/16 "2003-03-10T01:38:24Z")
While I’m all for wishful thinking as an occassional device for calming school children stressing over a geometry exam, I can’t get behind the OP. Sure, as in the Gulf War, large numbers of Iraq regular army will quickly surrender. Equally large numbers of army, Republican Guard and unfortunate civilians in Bagdhad will never have the chance. And some of the Guard units will fight ot the last man. In any case, Bush’s war will be a bloodbath. And lest you think, as the OP seems to, that occupation of Iraq will be a cakewalk for US and UK soldiers, don’t forget the high probability of [urban civilian resistance](http://www.iacenter.org/bagdad_prepares.htm). (But hey, my source is obviously biased. Perhaps it’s safe to ignore in favor of the OP’s more rigorous reporting… :rolleyes: ) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preview-of-the-horrors-to-come-in-an-iraqi-war/160179/17 "2003-03-10T01:41:42Z")
> [@](#): > > “They were a motley bunch and you could barely describe them as soldiers - they were poorly equipped and didn’t even have proper boots. Their physical condition was dreadful and they had obviously not had a square meal for ages.” And that was just the _British_ troops. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preview-of-the-horrors-to-come-in-an-iraqi-war/160179/18 "2003-03-10T01:51:46Z")
So does this mean we can start calling them, “Oil Pumping Surrender Monkeys?” ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preview-of-the-horrors-to-come-in-an-iraqi-war/160179/19 "2003-03-10T01:56:11Z")
This makes me sad, too. I have reservations about the war. This eases them somewhat. It seems to me as if the whole country is being held hostage. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preview-of-the-horrors-to-come-in-an-iraqi-war/160179/20 "2003-03-10T01:57:55Z")
Although, I think the British troops should have accepted their surrender, or treated them as defectors or dissidents. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/preview-of-the-horrors-to-come-in-an-iraqi-war/160179.md?page=2)