Saddam’s ‘Death Squads’ Preventing Iraqi Surrenders

 

By Gerry J. Gilmore, AFPS (updated)

WASHINGTON, March 27, 2003 – Fierce guerilla tactics of the type never seen by the military have been reported by some journalists embedded with the Coalition troops. Saddam’s extremes to stay in power include forcing civilians to give up their lives–one account in a European paper reports that civilians are forced to strap themselves with explosives and lay in front of Coalition tanks or their families will be executed.

Today, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld gave reporters a three-word answer as to why more Iraqi troops aren’t laying down their arms and surrendering to coalition forces: Saddam’s death squads.

Saddam’s death squads are "enforcers," part of Fedayeen Saddam–a paramilitary organization headed by Hussein’s eldest son Uday.

The Fedayeen "go into the cities and shoot people and threaten people and insist that they not surrender and not rise up," the secretary explained during a break in his testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee. "And, they’re vicious," he added, estimating Fedayeen Saddam has from 5,000 to 20,000 members.

The secretary related how the Fedayeen recently dealt with an unfortunate Iraqi who opposed the regime. "They left somebody in the center of Baghdad not too long ago with his tongue pulled out until he had bled to death — cut his tongue out," Rumsfeld said.

The Fedayeen aren’t just in Baghdad, but are deployed across the country.
"And they’re shooting — executing — people in Basra," Rumsfeld declared.

The secretary noted that such horrific behavior shouldn’t surprise anyone who has followed Hussein’s 20-plus year career as Iraq’s dictator. Hussein, after all, has "used chemicals on his own people, as well as his neighbors," Rumsfeld pointed out.

More than 4,000 Iraqi troops are now in custody as prisoners of war U.S. officials have reported.