Saddam Hussein's former chief of staff (defector) on 60 Minutes II

[AgPete]

Anyone watching 60 Minutes II? They just interviewed Saddam Hussein's former Chief of Staff and the highest ranking Iraqi general to defect. He's so important that Hussein pays assassins to try and get rid of him. He's hiding out in Europe.

He still maintains secret contact with fellow high ranking soldiers in the Iraqi army and he had some interesting things to say about a possible second invasion by America:

- To his knowledge, Iraq has no nuclear weapons and any chemical weapons are probably gone by now because of their liimited life.

- He probably has biological weapons and has suicide bombers trained to deliver them against American troops and targets outside of Iraq. (I'm assuming Israel will be hit as soon as American bombers take off.)

- Most of the soldiers in the Iraqi Army did not fight in the first Persian Gulf War and many are so young they don't even remember it.

- He is making plans to simulate his own Stalingrad. He is copying tactics the Russians used in Stalingrad to hold off Americans. His plan is to bring all his trusted soldiers (Republican Guard) into Baghdad and set them up at strategic points. He plans on setting them up near palaces, high ranking officer housing and other neighborhoods that he can trust. Basically, he's not leaving it up to working Iraqi men and women to defend Baghdad and forcing people that really do have something to lose after an American takeover to act as the speed bumpers.

- Burning Iraqi oil will probably be in his plan. (I wonder if he could prevent American air attacks by clouding the skies and keeping their visibility nil.)

- He hopes to hold out long enough to cause the international community to react and call for the Americans to quit.

What is disturbing to me about this is I once caught an episode of Frontline on PBS that had a terrific psychological profile on Hussein. The documentary showed how Joseph Stalin is Hussein's hero and he has a few personal bookshelves full of biographies, history and military and political tactics of Stalin and the Soviet Union under his rule. I have no doubt he'll try and create his own Stalingrad and I hope American planners are ready to counter this.

[Tarkus]

Originally posted by AgPete

- He is making plans to simulate his own Stalingrad. He is copying tactics the Russians used in Stalingrad to hold off Americans.

I think you mean Germans here. And what this essentially means is that he will use human shields.

Tarkus

[AgPete]

Originally posted by Tarkus
I think you mean Germans here.

Tarkus

Sorry. Bad phrasing. It's less confusing if I write it like this:

He is making plans to simulate his own Stalingrad. He is copying tactics the Russians used in Stalingrad so that he can hold off Americans.

[AgPete]

Originally posted by Tarkus
I think you mean Germans here. And what this essentially means is that he will use human shields.

Tarkus

I wonder where those pacifist volunteers that are acting as human shields are stationed? I hope they're not naieve enough to accept Saddam Hussein's recommendations on the best places to guard.

"Right here American, stand between the nuclear missile and the petri dishes!" "Oh.. okay Mister Hussein, ladi da da da...."

Sort of ruins your message of peace if you're not stading in front of civilians.