"And God help any Iraqis who get in the way of that plan."
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URL -
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/TorontoSun/News/2003/09/28/pf-211300.html
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Bogged down in Baghdad By Scott Taylor, In Iraq
BAGHDAD -- A little Iraqi girl -- no more than eight years old -- squatted beside the road with tears of humiliation streaming down her cheeks. Six metres away, three American soldiers had their rifles aimed at her as she was forced to relieve herself in full view of a long line of parked cars. From inside their vehicles, the Iraqi onlookers screamed their rage at the U.S. troops. Whenever one of the Iraqis ventured to step out of his vehicle, an American officer bellowed, "Get back in the car, a--hole!" and the .50-calibre machinegun mounted on the U.S. Hummer would swing menacingly towards the protester.
The terrified little girl was weeping uncontrollably by the time she dropped her skirt and ran back to her mother.
This incident took place on Sunday, Sept. 14, after a detachment of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division set up a roadblock on the Samara-Kirkuk highway. The purpose was to conduct a thorough weapons search of all traffic along this route. Without enough personnel to man the roadblock, cars and trucks were soon backed up for at least two kilometres in each direction.
To ensure that no Iraqi ventured onto the roadway, First Lieut. Fisher and his detachment would race up and down the queue, pointing their weapons and hurling verbal abuse at any violator.
The little girl had been sitting in a small Mazda with six other family members for over three hours before she left the car. Her older brother -- no more than 10 -- had bravely taken her by the hand and attempted to reach a small depression in the sand which might have offered a modicum of privacy.
Lieut. Fisher's Hummer had roared down the unpaved shoulder and braked to a halt in a cloud of dust. The young boy abandoned his sister.
While Fisher and his men may have carried out their orders efficiently, their aggressive behaviour and lack of empathy in this instance had done little to win over the "hearts and minds" of the Iraqi people.
Two days after the incident at the Samara-Kirkuk roadblock, I was given a personal taste of Iraqi animosity towards Americans.
I had felt the sharp jolt immediately, but only as the pain registered in my forearm did I realize that I had been struck by a rock. I turned in time to see a young boy throw a second stone, which narrowly missed my head. The boy then ran back to a crowded pickup truck where his family was cheering him on.
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