Uprising in Basra

The BBC is reporting that there’s an uprising in Basra against Iraqi forces. Said Iraqi forces are apparently firing mortars on Iraqi citizens.

Assuming that is true, I guess it shows that if you kill enough of the secret police, people can act as they truly feel.

It probably is true, if only because that region is overwhelmingly Shi-ah, and Saddam has systematically been targetting, harassing, and starving them for decades. Baghdad will be harder and I can’t imagine them going after Tikrit unless they don’t find Saddam in Baghdad. Tikrit is the home of his tribe, the Ba-ath party, and his family.

Also, when it comes to the “surprise” resistence, remember that it isn’t like our attack or targets are a surprise. He’s had about a year to fortify, pacify, and plan how he’s going to play David to our Goliath. I’m sure he spent a lot of time “hardening” Basra (killing or arresting ringleaders, threatening people, bribing, etc.,) because he knew we needed swift victory there if only for PR reasons.

Well, they’re not French. So it must be true :D

/me ducking and running

Plus, the loyalists who have been enforcing Saddam’s will in Basra are fighting hard since if the regime does fall, they fully expect to be systematically lynched by the native Shia population. Not that that will necessarily happen, but if you were immersed in Ba’ath logic, that’s what you’d undoubtedly believe.

Now Fox News is reporting that the Baath Militia & other special units in Basra are dressing in American uniforms, accepting the surrender of Iraqi units, and then executing them.

Who’s on the story? Oliver North or Geraldo?

Letting the reader know of potential bias is why I mentioned Fox News as the source. Despite any claims of lack of bias, all news sources are biased. If you know the bias in advance, it lets you give the information the weight you believe necessary.

You would think the mustaches would give them away.

and would it be wrong of me to be happy about this?

b/c i am. :twisted:

What the hell?

I’m guessing the Geneva conventions aren’t taught too strenuously in Fedayeen classrooms.

Er, with Fox News you’re not talking bias (unless it’s dealing with an election), but rather competency issues.

Shephard Smith gives Mississippians a bad name. Typical Ole Miss weenie.

whoops turns out this “uprising” was bullshit, at least reuters is reporting that british commanders have no fucking idea about an uprising.

so can we create our own para military group and go about executing all these reporters whose “reports” are nothing but lies half truths if not outright deceptions. Seems to be 3 sides to this war the US side the iraqi side then the us media side.

IBM Presents: You Make The Call.

The people are wondering if there is actually an uprising in Basra. The US and UK media still are reporting an uprising. Al Jazeera is reporting that there is no uprising.

We’ll be back after this message to see if you made the right call.

Or at Guantanamo Bay. ;-)

Five yard penalty.