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| Iraq |
| On the street, unexpected is expected |
| 2003-04-09 |
| Street battles here sometimes take bizarre turns. On Tuesday, hours after an intense firefight around the Republican Presidential Palace, U.S. troops took a tip from an Iraqi furniture upholsterer and blew up a building. After soldiers from the Army's 3rd Infantry Division fought their way to an intersection near Damascus Square, they noticed a few dozen Iraqis cheering them on. One of the soldiers went into the crowd to talk to them. Ahmed (who asked that his real name not be used because he fears reprisals) stood out. He told the soldiers about a building where he said Republican Guard soldiers were hiding. He offered to help locate the building. This guy is a gem! ''This is the guy who seemed to know the most about where everybody is,'' said Sgt. Spencer Willardson , 24, of Logan, Utah, a National Guard reservist, who was working for military intelligence. A portly man of 40 who teaches youth soccer, Ahmed was at the bottom rung of prewar Baghdad society — financially struggling. First, Ahmed told the soldiers that residents in his neighborhood were eager to tear down and destroy a three-story portrait of Saddam hanging from the Interior Ministry Building. The soldiers, in tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles, and several reporters drove to the site. The Americans blocked the intersection with their vehicles. But to Ahmed's embarrassment and anger, his neighbors were more interested in looting. About two dozen people were taking refrigerators and other appliances from what they said was a government store. They ignored Ahmed's pleas to help tear down the portrait. After about 30 minutes, Ahmed and the soldiers gave up. Sorry Ahmed I need a fridge before someone else grabs it. We'll tear down the picture once all the good stuff is gone. Then, Ahmed pointed to a tall structure across the Republic Bridge over the Tigris River. The building was a former hotel and youth ministry that he said Iraqi troops had commandeered. There were shots fired from it, including what appeared to be an anti-tank missile aimed at the Americans. With the addition of Ahmed's information, officers called their superiors, asking permission for Air Force jets to bomb the structure. Holed up in a civilian building, Nice try! ''We're about to blow (the building) based on his word,'' said Capt. Shannon Hume, 28, of Marshall, Va. A couple of hours later, his superiors had evaluated all the information and OK'd the airstrike. The building was then destroyed. At day's end, Ahmed returned home, but not before being rewarded. Lt. Col. Flip deCamp, 40, from Columbus, Ga., gave Ahmed about 400,000 Iraqi dinars ($350). They should have bought him a steak dinner to boot! |
| Posted by:George |
| #4 *thumbs up* |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-04-09 09:20:35 |
| #3 You got it, Bulldog. I can't wait until Achmed's Iraqi team crushes France in hot World Cup action. |
| Posted by: (lowercase) matt 2003-04-09 09:00:57 |
| #2 Give that man a job!!! Appoint a new coach to the Iraqi national soccer team and pretty much everything else should start to fall into place. ;) |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-04-09 06:14:37 |
| #1 Sorry, I meant to put this in Iraq, not terror networks! |
| Posted by: George 2003-04-09 05:10:21 |