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Saddam turns off water at Umm Qasr

post #1 of 23
3/25/03 at 12:19pm
Thread Starter 
<a href="http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=2443726" target="_blank">http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=2443726</a>

Quote:
Saddam turned it off," said Major John Taylor, part of a team from the British Royal Engineers, specializing in civil infrastructure.

"The water plant has no military damage at all. Not a single bullet hole. The minute Umm Qasr was invaded the guys in Basra cut the supplies."
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post #2 of 23
3/25/03 at 12:20pm
What stunning bullshit.
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post #3 of 23
3/25/03 at 12:28pm
Quote:
Devin hates Saddam, hates the war:
What stunning bullshit.
That's certainly possible, but it's also possible Saddam realizes he needs more civilian casualties before the rest of the world might try to step in. If people start dying, and he can convince the world that the military is responsible he might be able to force some hands.
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post #4 of 23
3/25/03 at 12:31pm
Thread Starter 
Saddam has everything to gain from killing and starving his own people and blaming the "American invaders".
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post #5 of 23
3/25/03 at 12:32pm
Totally doubtful. Iraq is depending on guerilla fighters at this point. They need any availbale Iraqi to pick up a gun or a grenade. Killing his own people in a town under siege by coalition troops is not just bad strategy, it's suicidal strategy.

On the other hand, coalition troops are facing guerilla warfare. They need to weaken the people of these cities (note how Basra suddenly became a "military target"). Dehydrating them is certainly one surefire way to do that - it's way faster than starving them.

And once the coalition takes the city for real (which I still doubt has happened), who's to say HOW the water got turned off?

Oh that's right - the WINNER says.
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post #6 of 23
3/25/03 at 12:33pm
Thread Starter 
As long as you trust Saddam and Al-Jazeera over your own government (which you do) I'm not interested in trying to convince you of anything.
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post #7 of 23
3/25/03 at 4:47pm
in 91 Saddam put civillian in Military bunkers knowing they would die and he could show it on tv. To discount that Saddam shut off the water or it was hit by the military without a little more info like pictures or reporters just shows a close mindedness.
Knowing Saddam I tend to believe the U.S. General, but it wouldn't suprise me if a stray missle hit the water plant.
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post #8 of 23
3/25/03 at 5:09pm
This is certainly possible, but it doesn't seem particularly likely.
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post #9 of 23
3/25/03 at 6:26pm
Why would he deprive his own forces of water when they were battling for the city? That makes no sense.
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post #10 of 23
3/25/03 at 6:31pm
People this is war. You shouldn´t belive anything you hear. The US lies and Saddam lies. We don´t know what is going on.
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post #11 of 23
3/25/03 at 6:32pm
I heard Iraqis are are impaling Kurd babies on the spike of their helmets.
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post #12 of 23
3/25/03 at 6:34pm
Quote:
Gandalf´s Father:
People this is war. You shouldn´t belive anything you hear. The US lies and Saddam lies. We don´t know what is going on.
Now that is a true statement. There are people on this board way too into absolutes. The fact that the US government lies does not mean that every statement is a lie, and does also not mean that every Iraqi statement is true.
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post #13 of 23
3/25/03 at 6:37pm
Quote:
Devin hates Saddam, hates the war:
Why would he deprive his own forces of water when they were battling for the city? That makes no sense.
If he is aware that the city can not be defended other than to delay the inevitable, would it not make sense to use the 'attack' to make the allied forces appear as if they have evil intent? What Saddam lacks in military savvy he certainly makes up for in spades in public relations savvy.
That being said, I read today that their water supply has been returned to 40% and will increase when a few more cities are taken but I was more than a little concerned that this information came from the Red Cross but was attributed as 'according to information from General soandso...'.
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post #14 of 23
3/25/03 at 6:37pm
Quote:
A-Pathetic:
Quote:
Gandalf´s Father:
People this is war. You shouldn´t belive anything you hear. The US lies and Saddam lies. We don´t know what is going on.
Now that is a true statement. There are people on this board way too into absolutes. The fact that the US government lies does not mean that every statement is a lie, and does also not mean that every Iraqi statement is true.
It means you shouldn't believe pronouncements from either side. You should find as many sources as possible and sift through for the truth.
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post #15 of 23
3/25/03 at 6:53pm
Quote:
Devin hates Saddam, hates the war:
It means you shouldn't believe pronouncements from either side. You should find as many sources as possible and sift through for the truth.
Not to mindlessly attack you as seems to be the current fad, but how many sources had you checked when you pronounced this to be stunning bullshit?
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post #16 of 23
3/25/03 at 6:58pm
I checked <a href="http://www.devincf.com" target="_blank">www.devincf.com</a> and my own instincts.
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post #17 of 23
3/25/03 at 7:00pm
Quote:
Devin hates Saddam, hates the war:
I checked <a href="http://www.devincf.com" target="_blank">www.devincf.com</a> and my own instincts.
Damn you're smooth. Question evasion and shameless self promotion all at once.
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post #18 of 23
3/25/03 at 9:28pm
Quote:
Devin hates Saddam, hates the war:
Why would he deprive his own forces of water when they were battling for the city? That makes no sense.
It's true that it makes no sense, but I wouldn't disbelive it just because of that. He constantly does things that make no sense. I could see him doing this.
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post #19 of 23
3/25/03 at 11:34pm
I doubt very much that the US gov't has directly "lied" once during this campaign. In this war, it's to well covered and they have too much to lose.

Now, have they stretched the truth or "puffed"? You bet your ass they have.
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post #20 of 23
3/26/03 at 7:43am
Quote:
Smirk is Anonymous:
I doubt very much that the US gov't has directly "lied" once during this campaign. In this war, it's to well covered and they have too much to lose.

Now, have they stretched the truth or "puffed"? You bet your ass they have.
Stretching the truth or Puffed - so thats not lying ???
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post #21 of 23
3/26/03 at 12:10pm
Quote:
Devin hates Saddam, hates the war:
Totally doubtful. Iraq is depending on guerilla fighters at this point. They need any availbale Iraqi to pick up a gun or a grenade. Killing his own people in a town under siege by coalition troops is not just bad strategy, it's suicidal strategy.
The guerillas they depend on are not your average Iraqis, but the Fedayeen Saddam. If they have provisions, why give the Shiites stuff when you know they hate you and you've purged them before. It's just one more of Saddam's crimes.
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post #22 of 23
3/26/03 at 12:17pm
Quote:
george w. sorro:
Quote:
Devin hates Saddam, hates the war:
Totally doubtful. Iraq is depending on guerilla fighters at this point. They need any availbale Iraqi to pick up a gun or a grenade. Killing his own people in a town under siege by coalition troops is not just bad strategy, it's suicidal strategy.
The guerillas they depend on are not your average Iraqis, but the Fedayeen Saddam. If they have provisions, why give the Shiites stuff when you know they hate you and you've purged them before. It's just one more of Saddam's crimes.
I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that it is just the Fedayeen. The back and forth in Basra (which is hard to quantify at the moment - was there an uprising against the Brits, against Saddam, against both? We'll understand it better when all the facts are in) indicates to me that there are Iraqi people against the coalition forces.

For the Generals doing press briefings it's better to say that the Fedayeen are all dressed as civilians. It's not as encouraging to say that civilians are also attacking coalition forces, as is my very strong suspicion.
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post #23 of 23
3/26/03 at 1:27pm
I never said the Fedayeen were not dressing as civilians.

I am saying that I do not believe that all the civilians attacking coalition troops are Fedayeen.
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