- Title: IRAQ: FORMER BAATH PARTY MEMBERS HAND OVER ARMS TO UNITED STATES FORCES
- Date: 13th January 2004
- Summary: (W5) TALAFAR, NEAR MOSUL, IRAQ (JANUARY 12, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. SLV EXTERIOR OF TALAFAR YOUTH CENTRE, PEOPLE LEAVING BUILDING; SLV U.S. MILITARY VEHICLES NEAR BUILDING 0.05 2. SLV PEOPLE STANDING NEAR A U.S. TANK 0.09 3. MV U.S. SOLDIER CARRYING WEAPONS AND PUT THEM INTO A TRUCK; SCU KLASHINKOV RIFLES (3 SHOTS) 0.19 4. MV U.S. SOLDIERS STANDING OUTSIDE THE BUILDING WITH IRAQI FLAG IN THE BACKGROUND 0.24 5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) COLONEL MICHAEL LENINGTON, U.S. COMMANDER OF THE 3RD BRIGADE SAYING "This is an awesome day. It is a great day because it shows the ground swell support for the new Iraq and it shows the ground swell of support from the Baath party that has been denounced this morning. It is over seven hundred weapons and these weapons, both for the police forces here in Talafar as well as turned over to the army forces for their use in the future. So it is Iraqi's giving their supplies and their weapons over or the security of Iraq so I take my hat off to everything this battalion has done." 1.01 6. MV PILES OF WEAPONS 1.05 7. SCU ANNOUNCEMENT LISTING A PROGRAMME FOR BAATHISTS TO HAND OVER WEAPONS 1.10 8. SCU IRAQIS TALKING TO AMERICAN MILITARY MEN; GROUP OF IRAQI POLICEMEN; PILES OF WEAPONS; SCU WEAPONS (4 SHOTS) 1.29 9. MV IRAQI POLICEMAN CARRYING WEAPONS; MV IRAQI MAN IN TRADITIONAL ARAB DRESS TALKING TO LENINGTON 1.38 10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) COLONEL BEASE, COMMANDER OF A U.S. BATTALION SAYING "In May was had in excess of seventy attacks on my battalion alone in Talafar, that's been that vast majority that had occurred from the Brigade. They've ranged anywhere from car bombings to direct fire, with small arms to RPG attacks, to ambushes, to improvised explosive devices, to mine strikes and things of that nature but that has been over a nine, ten months period, so we have had that number of attacks since we have been here." 2.15 11. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) A FORMER BAATHIST MEMBER, SALIM ABU GHAZI, SAYING "Can they abolish the Baath Party with a scratch of a pen from Iraq? The Baathists are millions and they are Iraqis. They have principles and Baath Party principles are not bad, the bad things came from top Baathists." 2.33 13. MV U.S. SOLDIERS OUTSIDE THE BUILDING 2.38 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 28th January 2004 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: TALAFAR, NEAR MOSUL, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Reuters ID: LVADRLYNC4959M1SCAZDHUZSQSE9
- Story Text: Former Baath Party members handed over arms to the
U.S. forces in Mosul.
Hundreds of former leaders of Saddam Hussein's Baath
Party handed in weapons in the northern city of Talafar,
north of Mosul on Monday (January 12, 2004).
Talafar youth centre was turned into a collection
centre and 700 weapons had so far been handed in as a
result of the initiative.
"This is an awesome day. It is a great day because it
shows the ground swell support for the new Iraq and it
shows the ground swell of support from the Baath party that
has been denounced this morning," Colonel Michael
Lenington, U.S. Commander of the 3rd Brigade.
The Baathists who have recently begun to cooperate with
the division held positions in the second, third and fourth
tiers of the party - top-level officials banned by the
U.S.-led administration from any leadership role in Iraq's
government and public institutions.
"Can they abolish the Baath Party with a scratch of a
pen from Iraq? The Baathists are millions and they are
Iraqis. They have principles and Baath Party principles are
not bad, the bad things came from top Baathists," former
Baathist member, Salim Abu Ghazi told Reuters.
The men have handed over AK-47 semiautomatic rifles, as
well as rocket-propelled grenade launchers and other
weapons.
The shoulder-launched missiles are among the most
feared weapons in Iraq. They have been used to attack U.S.
military helicopters.
Meantime, a meeting was held in the northern city of
Mosul to discuss Iraq's future and the plan to hold
elections.
The meeting, which was attended by U.S. military
officials and tribal chiefs and members of the city council
discuss the political process and the American plan to hand
over power to Iraq.
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