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Source: http://tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020909&s=rubin090902
Will Saddam's Troops Fight?
(New Republic) Michael Rubin - In December 2000, Iraqi troops invaded the Kurdish safe haven of Ba'adre. The United States went right at the invading force. And when American warplanes flew low over the Iraqi lines, 138 Iraqi soldiers threw down their weapons and surrendered without a shot being fired; the rest quickly withdrew. The lesson wasn't complicated: Not many Iraqis want to die for Saddam. Egypt's former Chief of Staff General Salah Halaby said earlier this month: "The Iraqi army has no chance whatsoever to stand steadfast and will fall like a castle of sand."