(Scotsman.com) Mohammed Nafee, former Iraqi general - As soon as Saddam falls silent on the radio and television, when the Iraqi people feel that he no longer exercises the same power over them, he is finished. One of the most effective things the U.S. can do is to stop him broadcasting to his people. I am convinced that Saddam will be killed by an Iraqi long before the first American soldier sets foot in Baghdad. I was a general in the Iraqi army in Basra at the time of the invasion of Kuwait and I know that the soldiers, like the rest of the country, have no time for Saddam. They will surrender in vast numbers rather than fight the invading forces. There are forces which will be loyal to Saddam up to a point and prepared to do his bidding in the early stages of the conflict, but even they will not be willing to die for him. There is no emotional bond and they will become deserters. Most of the army will leave their posts in the next two days and go back to their homes. It is likely that Saddam will use chemical weapons to attack his own people and then try to blame the Americans. He also knows that there will be an uprising in the south of Iraq against him.
2003-03-19 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive