Iraqi resistance may intensify

An Iraqi political analyst forsees an increase in resistance from sections linked to former President Saddam Hussein following his sons’ killings by US troops on Tuesday.

US troops may have to face heightened resistance

The analyst, Dr Habib Jaber told Aljazeera that the US-led forces should have captured the two sons Uday and Qusay rather than killing them.

 

Jaber said they could have used tear gas or smoke bombs and arrested Saddam Hussein’s sons rather than use a large force and weapons to kill them.

 

Giving reasons, Jaber said the two were not just the sons of Saddam Hussein, but key members close to the former president.  “One of them was chief of the Iraqi security apparatus which means he knew a great deal about mass killings and graves left by the Baath government,” he said.

 

On Iraqis’ reaction to the killing of the two, Jaber said that “though the former government had been ousted a few months back, many Iraqis were unable to express their real opinion”, adding that “killing Uday and Qusay will make Iraqis happy.”

 

Reactions

 

Our correspondent in Baghdad said Iraqi citizens fired bullets in the air expressing joy and happiness over their deaths. 

 

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The US exults after getting
the two sons

In other reactions from around the world, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Yury Fedotov, said the killing was still no guarantee for the future security of Iraq.

 

Fedotov said it was difficult for Moscow to judge how news that Uday and Qusay had been killed in a shootout with US troops would help improve the stability in a nation where skirmishes continue on a daily basis.

 

US President George W Bush “welcomes this as positive news for the Iraqi people and this is further reassurance to the Iraqi people that the regime is gone and will not be back,” said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.

 

Hope

 

Paul Bremer, the US occupation administrator for Iraq said, “It’s a great day for the Iraqi people and a great day for the American military, who once again showed their astounding professionalism in this operation.”

 

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said he hoped the deaths of Saddam Hussein’s two sons would open the door to more aid flowing into Iraq.

 

The death of Uday and Qusay is nothing less than “a great day for the new Iraq,” British Prime Minister Tony Blair said.

 

Australian Prime Minister John Howard said he hoped that the deaths of Saddam Hussein’s two sons would finally bring security to Iraq.

Source: Al Jazeera, News Agencies