|
|
April 04, 2003
Boston Globe: Iraqi deserters describe front-line despair
But there was nothing to defend them against the bombardment. Monday night was the worst, they said. High-flying jets were quickly reinforced by what the Iraqi soldiers said were Apache helicopters firing rockets at their bunkers and foxholes. ''We didn't expect it to be so heavy,'' said the farmer, who, like most of the soldiers, is a Shi'ite Muslim from southern Iraq. He said that when 30 of the men suddenly found themselves with no officers around, they realized they could just run away. The farmer said his entire unit would have escaped long ago had they known the Kurds would treat them well. Iraqi officers, he said, spent hours lecturing the troops on how the Kurds would kill anyone who tried to surrender. But when the bombing became too intense to bear, they chose to risk giving up to the Kurds. They were certain that death squads in the rear of their own lines would kill anyone who tried to desert into friendly territory. Comments
Post a comment
|