KIRKUK, Iraq -- Kirkuk seemed to take everyone by surprise. With the speed that the Kurds entered the city and the inefficiency of Iraqi resistance. Where are the all the troops? What's happened to the Republican Guard? At the moment, I have no answers to that other than the usual, "they gave up," line I get from Kurdish commanders.
At any rate, we've been told by the KDP and PUK that no journalists are allowed into Mosul or Kirkuk until order can be restored. (The looting wasn't that bad in Kirkuk...) The reason blocking media attenion is the Turks, who have said if peshmergas enter the cities that will be seen as a tripwire for an invasion. Thankfully, that doesn't seem to have happened yet because Secretary of U.S. State Colin Powell smoothed Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's feathers for now by having U.S. troops take over from the PUK peshmergas in Kirkuk.
Be that as it may, today I'm staying in Arbil to get some reaction to yesterday's emotional events. I'm also going to dig a little deeper on the Turkish issue and talk to the Turkomen group here. I also have a couple of features to research. When I have more to post today (i.e., reaction to the Turks' threats) I will. In the meantime, I'll put up these photos I took yesterday in Kirkuk. Sorry I wasn't able to upload them in real time, but I was on the satellite phone and needed to wait to get back to a faster line.
The remnants of a Saddam mural outside the occupied Ba'ath Party HQ
Kirkukis deface one of the ubiquitous murals of Saddam
The crowd works at pulling down the statue. Note the make-shift American flag in the foreground.
Another shot of the flag-holder and the statue
More later. Perhaps tomorrow I'll be in Tikrit, insh'allah.
I doubt that you will able to get to Tikrit for at least a while. There are many Republican Guard troops and fighters in Tikrit. And some say Saddam and some of his leadership has fled to Tikrit. I would stay away from Tikrit for now, not until it falls because Tikrit is still under control of the now dying regime. And I would expect heavy fighting there…be careful.
THAT is a great photo of the fellow with the home made flag. You need a syndication deal. You might try Belo interactive, they distribute this stuff.
Jim Landers is one of their guys, and he has a great piece on the 5th Marines & 2nd Tanks getting shot at. If you want to register for the Dallas Morning News, it’s there.
Here are the opening lines:
AT TUWAYHAH, Iraq - There were several dead dogs lying on the side of the road. Second Lieutenant Adam Markley looked ahead from his tank and thought that was odd.
“It was like someone had used the dogs for target practice,” he said.
At Tuwayhah got stranger still as Charlie Company’s tanks led the flying column of the Marine Corps 2nd Tank Battalion into town. Mounds of earth were piled neatly along the highway. A bus, a truck, and other vehicles were stacked on the rooftops of roadside shops. They were part of a honeycomb of sniper nests stretching the length of At Tuwayhah.
As the column hit the center of town, a trench filled with oil boiled into flame and black smoke. “Devil’s Advocate,” Lt. Markley’s tank, passed through the smoke at about 12:20 p.m.
“The fire pits were scary as s—t,” said Lt. Markley. “I was the lead tank, and I didn’t know what was on the other side.”
Hell was waiting…
Christopher,
Be careful, man. Don’t advance toward Tikrit beyond the Peshmerga positions.
Kevin Sites just reported on CNN that he and his crew advanced beyond the Peshmerga positions and encountered some Iraqis who were waving to him and his crew in a friendly manner. Sites and his crew approached them and were taken prisoner by what he said were fedayeen.
They were accused by the fedayeen of being spies. They were bound and the fedayeen pointed Kalashnikovs at their heads. The fedayeen discharged a few rounds at their feet.
The fedayeen told them they were going to take Sites and his crew to the Iraqi intelligence headquarters in Tikrit but Site’s quick thinking translator talked the fedayeen into taking them to some tribal elders in a nearby village to discuss the situation (can’t recall which village he mentioned).
When they got to the village, Site’s translator went on the offensive and conviced the elders that turning Sites and his crew over to the Iraqis in Tikrit would bring retribution upon the elders and their village by the Americans.
Sites said this convinced the Iraqi village elders to release them.
The fedayeen took everything from Sites and his crew (sat phones, computers, put a few rounds into the engine of their car) and released them.
Sites said if it hadn’t been for their translator they most certainly would have been executed today in Tikrit.
Sites said that the villagers did not bear them any ill will, but that the fedayeen were the ones that posed the threat.
Sorry for the scary news, but thought it important to pass this along.
Be careful.
Yipes! But don’t worry. I have no intention of getting ahead of peshmerga or American positions. As it stands now, I’ll likely head back to Kirkuk and see what develops and move south as safety allows.
I think the 4th infantry is scheduled to take over Tikrit on the 14th. I doubt it is prudent to go in before that occurs. Assuming you went in, and the fedayeen didn’t like you, you’d be sitting in an Iraqi military compound while the Americans started a major attack. Doh!
Christopher,
Thanks for your reporting from the North.
Your website has now become my number one source of the developments in Iraq now that the action has moved up there.
I posted the Sites story over at Free Republic and am amazed at how everyone there (I am a registered poster there btw) is trashing Kevin. Some posters there go as far to say that CNN and Kevin have made this story up to gain sympathy in light of the Eason Jordan piece in the NY Times today.
I wonder if they would be expressing the same sentiments if, say, FNC’s Greg Kelly or Rick Leventhal had reported the same harrowing experience? No, they would probably be saying, “wow, way to go Greg” or “thet Leventhal is one brave dude.”
You guys are putting your asses on the line so that we can have real time news as we sit in the comfort of our homes. I, for one, am grateful.
Whether a correspodent is embedded or not, employed by CNN, Fox or independent matters not in my opinion. For some to take swipes at a correspondent simply because of whom they are employeed by is idiotic.
Those photos are priceless.
I hav always been an avid fan of foxnews and rick did a great job and sacrifice his life just to bring news around the world. He also gave a chance for the U.S marines to greet their loved ones. He should have another emmy award nominee.
lauremar, philippinesbraym gian slawit le bet .hiwadarm sarbarz u sarkaotoo bit.
braym gian slawit le bet .hiwadarm sarbarz u sarkaotoo bit.
h. rahimyan
Hi,
As you may know through the news this site is delivering that the Peshmerga(translated: those who face date) who are pro-American are treu fighters, i want to make a movie aboat the pesherma’s. i realy have something. please help.
Hi,
As you may know through the news this site is delivering that the Peshmerga(translated: those who face date) who are pro-American are treu fighters, i want to make a movie aboat the pesherma’s. i realy have something. please help.
Hi,
As you may know through the news this site is delivering that the Peshmerga(translated: those who face date) who are pro-American are treu fighters, i want to make a movie aboat the pesherma’s. i realy have something. please help.
thse americans can’t hold themselves they are very proud.any way every pride has an end ……if bush can read this let him know that the end is not farrrrrrrrr
The military is very trained to do what they do best and that is to keep order, and yes they are proud, proud to be an American