Iraqi Guerrilla: Catching Fish in Morning, Americans at Night

[NNN0LHI]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAJT59PVJD.html

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The fisherman had just decided to take up arms, and he shook with fear as the American convoy approached his hiding place. As he later told it, he fired a rocket-propelled grenade into a Humvee and ran away as fast as he could.

Nobody gave chase, he said, and in the time that has passed since that April attack, his band of seven guerrillas has slipped into an easy rhythm of attacking American convoys every few days.

"I catch fish in the morning and Americans at night," he said. "Catching Americans is easier than catching fish."

He wouldn't give his real name, instead calling himself Salahuddin, the name of the 12th century Muslim liberator known to the West as Saladin. His account, which mixes verifiable facts with extravagant claims, gives a rare insight into the secret world of Iraq's anti-American resistance, which has killed more than 60 U.S. troops since May 1.

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[Barrett808]

1. This claim corroborates Mazen's brother's: US troops in mass graves

Some of his claims are highly dubious - for instance, that the Americans are losing more dead than they're saying and secretly burying them in the desert. But such stories are widely believed by Iraqis, and add to the aura of the resistance.

See:

Reuters Cameraman Killed For Filming U.S. Graves: Brother
Tuesday, August 19 2003 @ 06:51 PM GMT
http://palestinechronicle.com/article.php?story=2003081918513248

"'Mazen told me by phone few days before his death that he discovered a mass grave dug by U.S. troops to conceal the bodies of their fellow comrades killed in Iraqi resistance attacks ..'"

[Maple]

3. Yes, and whether stories are

true or not, they all add to the confusion, the rumors, the constantly shifting ground and the nightmare for the occupying force.

Not only do they know that death can come out of the blue at any time, but I'm sure the GIs have heard these stories as well and can only wonder if they'll also be buried secretly and just never seen again.

Anyone without a concerned family who would investigate is probably convinced of it, and others wonder.

Guerrilla armies have their own psych-ops.

[femmecahors]

2. Thanks for this interesting post . . . n/t

. . .

[NNN0LHI]

4. Your welcome. But I think The Associated Press deserves the credit

AP and their staff has had many hard hitting articles like this one lately. Have to dig a bit to find them, but they seem to always be on top of the story in Iraq for some reason. Niko Price the writer of this story and D'arcy Doran who wrote this excellent story I link below are two AP journalists that seem to be sincere about actually doing their job. Its a little long but its worth reading the whole thing.

Don

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAO8DNFVJD.html

Two U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq; Aid Group Withdraws Staff Due to Heightened Peril