Telegraph | News | At last, the American soldiers discover a friendly welcome
At last, the American soldiers discover a friendly welcome
By Oliver Poole with the 3rd Infantry Division in central Iraq
(Filed: 01/04/2003)
The welcome they had hoped for finally greeted American troops yesterday, as waving Iraqis lined the streets when the advance northwards to Baghdad was resumed.
The scenes, long awaited, did much to lift the spirits of the troops as convoys of tanks wound their way through a town on the west bank of the Euphrates.
"Maybe this is the parade they had promised us," said Sgt Gary Harrison, as he returned a greeting with a wave. "They sure seem happy to see us. Let's hope they aren't the only ones."
As they passed, hundreds, possibly thousands, of people emerged from their houses to signal their welcome.
Whole families stood together outside their homes, the children smiling and their parents urging the Americans forward. Young men stood in clusters, while women dressed in black religious robes put down the clothes they had been washing in the river and waved.
Capt David Waldron, 31, commander of the Black Knights tank company, said: "When we drove into this town and I saw the crowds I told everyone to keep their head down. But they were so obviously friendly that I ended up waving back, too.
"I even tied a Stars and Stripes to the end of my machinegun as they need to know who it is who is liberating them.
"We've been hearing this from a number of areas now. It seems the message is getting through what we are doing here."
From the buildings above the advancing Americans were hung not only white flags to indicate that the occupants were non-combatants, but also green flags to demonstrate that they were from the majority Shia community, long persecuted by Saddam Hussein.
Yesterday's demonstration was the first large-scale welcome the Americans had received.
>>
Individual Iraqis had previously approached to give warning about enemy buildings during the unit's sparring with paramilitaries further south. They had called on the US troops to rid them of the paramilitary Saddam Fedayeen, who they said had been threatening them and their families.
Maybe the power of Saddam and the torturers and murderers he has recruited as his paramilitaries is finally beginning to weaken.
>>
The push northwards marked a new stage in the ground campaign. After a pause in which United States forces regrouped, and received new supplies of ammunition, food, water and vehicle parts, the order had been given to head towards Baghdad once more.
"This has always been the planned operation of attack," Lt Col John W Charlton said of the resupply delay and subsequent resumption of the advance.
"What changed was that we had to cope with them coming at us in these little civilian vehicles wanting to take us on. That is what we are now doing.
"We are getting super aggressive and are going to kill them all."
At last, the American soldiers discover a friendly welcome
By Oliver Poole with the 3rd Infantry Division in central Iraq
(Filed: 01/04/2003)
The welcome they had hoped for finally greeted American troops yesterday, as waving Iraqis lined the streets when the advance northwards to Baghdad was resumed.
The scenes, long awaited, did much to lift the spirits of the troops as convoys of tanks wound their way through a town on the west bank of the Euphrates.
"Maybe this is the parade they had promised us," said Sgt Gary Harrison, as he returned a greeting with a wave. "They sure seem happy to see us. Let's hope they aren't the only ones."
As they passed, hundreds, possibly thousands, of people emerged from their houses to signal their welcome.
Whole families stood together outside their homes, the children smiling and their parents urging the Americans forward. Young men stood in clusters, while women dressed in black religious robes put down the clothes they had been washing in the river and waved.
Capt David Waldron, 31, commander of the Black Knights tank company, said: "When we drove into this town and I saw the crowds I told everyone to keep their head down. But they were so obviously friendly that I ended up waving back, too.
"I even tied a Stars and Stripes to the end of my machinegun as they need to know who it is who is liberating them.
"We've been hearing this from a number of areas now. It seems the message is getting through what we are doing here."
From the buildings above the advancing Americans were hung not only white flags to indicate that the occupants were non-combatants, but also green flags to demonstrate that they were from the majority Shia community, long persecuted by Saddam Hussein.
Yesterday's demonstration was the first large-scale welcome the Americans had received.
>>
Individual Iraqis had previously approached to give warning about enemy buildings during the unit's sparring with paramilitaries further south. They had called on the US troops to rid them of the paramilitary Saddam Fedayeen, who they said had been threatening them and their families.
Maybe the power of Saddam and the torturers and murderers he has recruited as his paramilitaries is finally beginning to weaken.
>>
The push northwards marked a new stage in the ground campaign. After a pause in which United States forces regrouped, and received new supplies of ammunition, food, water and vehicle parts, the order had been given to head towards Baghdad once more.
"This has always been the planned operation of attack," Lt Col John W Charlton said of the resupply delay and subsequent resumption of the advance.
"What changed was that we had to cope with them coming at us in these little civilian vehicles wanting to take us on. That is what we are now doing.
"We are getting super aggressive and are going to kill them all."
Comments