US admits '8,000 Iraqis captured' claim was false

Wednesday March 26, 2003 11:58

by Nazi Runsfield

This must be a miracle as the good ole USA doesnt lie about wars!

The US military has been forced to admit the 8,000 Iraqi soldiers they claimed to have captured last week are now battling British forces.

Iraq's 51st Infantry Division, which has about 200 tanks, is now engaged in the southern city of Basra.

The Pentagon is claiming the confusion is the work of the Fedayeen Saddam - Saddam Hussein's most trusted paramilitary unit.

The US is accusing it of organising the tactic of posing as civilians and faking surrenders.

Defence Department officials reported on Friday that they had won the surrender of the entire 51st Division, a regular Iraqi army unit deployed in southern Iraq to defend Basra, the nation's second largest city.

On Saturday, officials backtracked, saying they had only taken a couple of commanders and the rest of the men had "melted away" - a term used for those who laid down their arms and returned home.

On Monday there were reports that one of the "commanders" turned out to be a junior official who misrepresented his rank in hopes of getting better treatment.

Then on Tuesday, British forces reported a tank battle with elements of the 51st outside of Basra. Asked about the confusion, the Pentagon said the division's equipment was taken over by the Fedayeen and possibly members of Saddam's Republican Guard, his best-trained troops.

"Some of their equipment may have been used by the Fedayeen perhaps, or other folks that Fedayeen brought with them," a Pentagon spokesman said.

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Comments (2 of 2)

they are making no distinctions between civilians and military anymore it seems

by .

Wed Mar 26, 2003 12:00

This is a dangerous precedent for the world and Irish media organisations and administration must be forced to confront this.

We will not be complicit in this horror

While tony is wasting billions killing Iraqis.......

by spin doctor

Wed Mar 26, 2003 12:53

Pensioner died after waiting eight hours for ambulance
A chronically ill pensioner died at home after waiting almost eight hours for an ambulance.

Richard Rogers, 63, told how he waited in vain for paramedics to arrive to treat 86-year-old Nellie Males.

But despite Mr Rogers making several calls when a crew failed to arrive, Mrs Males died at her home in Cardiff five minutes before the ambulance finally turned up.

The Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust has since launched a full investigation and a member of staff has been suspended.

The pensioner's GP called for an ambulance at 1pm on Friday to take her to hospital after diagnosing pneumonia.

Mr Rogers was later called to sit with his friend after being told an ambulance would arrive within three hours.

He said: "I think what has happened is disgusting. I believe that if an ambulance had come within two of three hours Nellie would still be with us now."

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US admits '8,000 Iraqis captured' claim was false

Comments (2 of 2)