Word: baath
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This was a notion trumpeted by other Administration officials as well, but what they and Bush had in mind was encouraging senior leaders of the Iraqi army or Baath Party to revolt. "We didn't expect a general public uprising," says a former Bush aide...
...mosque. He neglected to explain this, however, to the crowds outside. As the soldiers of Bravo Company of the 2nd Battalion, who had formed a tight perimeter on the street, began heading toward the mosque, citizens started shouting and moving forward. With rabble rousers (later identified by Iraqis as Baath Party members) shouting, "The Americans are storming the mosque," the crowd began to chant and shake their fists. That's when Hughes made his move. Grabbing a microphone he calmly announced over a loudspeaker, "Second Battalion soldiers, take a knee and point your weapons at the ground." Seconds later every...
...brother, whom he saw militiamen beat down with the butts of their guns. Working off his fear, Tahsin says vehemently, "They are shooting people who are saying anything against them, and you don't know who they are because they are all dressed like civilians." He says the Baath Party members and militia fighters use civilians' houses as refuges. And some have mounted mortars on the backs of pickups that can move quickly after firing. The British are wary about returning fire into civilian areas...
...course, when you get to that point, you really don't need a popular revolt. A Shia uprising was supposed to wipe out the Baath Party and destroy any paramilitary cadres along the line of the coalition advance. American forces accomplished both of these missions. Still, the Afghanistan model called for a popular revolt, and in An Najaf last week Special Ops soldiers set out to recruit...
...Army commanders here had already noted that Baath Headquarters and the homes of party leaders were liberally stocked with 100 pound bags of rice and flour. Hoping to relieve the pressing food shortage they relaxed the no looting rules and opened these locations for a local free for all. What ensued was dozens of miniature reenactments of the storming the Bastille. Hundreds of people rushed into the buildings, emptying them of foodstuffs, furniture, farm tools and even lighting fixtures. This largess improved the lives of the fast, the young and the strong. It did nothing to help the woman with...