IRNA -- Eight days after the fall of Saddam Hussain's regime in Baghdad, the Saudi press are still focussing on various aspects of the US-led war in Iraq.- Al-Watan in its Wednesday edition focussed on the reasons behind the rapid downfall of Baghdad regime, attributing it mainly to the close cooperation of Saddam Hussain's cousin, Mahir Takriti, with the coalition forces. This daily adds, "Mahir Takriti was in charge of defending the central parts of Baghdad and Saddam's administration had assigned him the task of exploding all bridges over Tigris, but after getting assurance from the US commanders regarding his own, his family's and his forces' security, he refrained from performing his duties altogether."
"Yup. That hadda be it. Somebody sold 'em out..."
- According to Al-Watan, one of the Yemenese voluntary militias that had gone to Iraq to fight the invading US forces said following his return to Sana: "The Republican Guards, as well as the armed forces of Iraq betrayed the Arab voluntary forces that had gone to Iraq to assist them." The Yemenese volunteer referring to the heavy armed clashes between the voluntary forces and the Americans at Saddam Airport, said, "in that battle some 3,000 volunteer Arab militias from Egypt, Syria, Algeria, and Yemen were defending the airport strongly alongside with he Iraqi guards of it, but the Iraqis surprisingly retreated and left the Arab volunteers alone."
"See you later, Mahmoud! Call us if we win!"
- Al-Jazeera, quoting Russia's ambassador to Baghdad, attributes the quick collapse of Saddam's regime to "the probable death of Saddam and his deputies in bombardments of Baghdad." Vladimir Titorenko has further opined, "Saddam Hussain and the top officials of Iraq's Baath Party were most probably killed in bombardment of Al-Mansour district of Baghdad, and that is the only believable possible reason behind the rapid fall of Baghdad into the hands of the invading forces."
"I mean, nobody can really believe that the Elite Republican Guard was so outclassed it collapsed when it met real soldiers and Marines..."
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