Iraqi General Urges Support of U.S. Troops

FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) - A former Saddam Hussein-era general appointed by the Americans to lead an Iraqi security force in the rebellious Sunni stronghold of Fallujah urged tribal elders and sheiks Sunday to support U.S. efforts to stabilize Iraq.

Retired Maj. Gen. Mohammed Abdul-Latif rose to prominence after nearly monthlong battles last month between the Marines monthlong battles in April between the Marines and insurgents hunkered down in Fallujah's neighborhoods.

"We can make them (Americans) use their rifles against us or we can make them build our country, it's your choice," Latif told a gathering of more than 40 sheiks, city council members and imams in an eastern Fallujah suburb.

---snip---

"As President Bush said, they did not come here to occupy our land but to get rid of Saddam. We can help them leave by helping them do their job, or we can make them stay ten years and more by keeping fighting."

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040516/D82JRHQ80.html

There will be so much more carnage by the US within the next 10 days, no Iraqi will be supporting us.

the General has been drinking kool-aid.

smart to get our money to rebuild before they kick us out

also he makes a good point that we'll keep killing them if they don't settle down (the poor bastards)

was he given?

Bush is using the good nature of this General to form a peaceful coalition when he has no intentions of honoring anything he's said.

Bush is a racist, all blood lust and oil..

"As President Bush said, they did not come here to occupy our land but to get rid of Saddam. We can help them leave by helping them do their job, or we can make them stay ten years and more by keeping fighting."

Lt. Col. Brennan Byrne, the Marine battalion commander, said, "No truer words have been spoken here today than those by General Latif."


Bush will get this General killed by his own people.

sessions...

"The venue offered a rare insight into Latif's interactions and influence over Fallujah elders. As he spoke, many sheiks nodded in approval and listened with reverence to his words. Later, they clasped his hands and patted Latif on the back."

Listened with reverence? That seems like laying it on a bit thick.

"Latif, a former military intelligence officer said to have been imprisoned by Saddam and exiled, praised the former Iraqi army."

I tried googling this guy's name when he was first raised to prominence by the U.S. marines, but there was almost nothing on him at that time. I wonder what the real story is - note the equivocation in the statement, "said to have been imprisoned by Saddam and exiled".

"Our country is precious, stop allowing the bad guys to come from outside Iraq to destroy our country."

This sounds suspiciously like American phrasing, unless people around the world have been infected with this simplistic "bad guys" construction.

I looked up some other articles by this journalist (KATARINA KRATOVAC). She has done a number about Fallujah, and the others I skimmed didn't seem too bad. Maybe her "said to have been" phrasing is a tipoff that she doesn't really believe it either.

It's so blatanty obvious what the point of this entire bu$h fiasco was.

Does the general not notice that Iraqi resources are being plundered?