For Immediate Release
April 4, 2003
Liberation Update
The voices of freedom are heard now inside Iraq and around the world. The enthusiasm of Iraqis as American and coalition troops help liberate their country is evident in this collection of their reactions to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
News accounts today paint a vivid picture of joy and relief inside
Iraq. American and coalition troops are being welcomed by smiling
Iraqis. Their voices have been silenced for too long, but now they are
heard inside Iraq and around the world.
VOICES OF FREEDOM
"As dusk fell yesterday evening, only a small girl dressed in rags could
be seen on the streets of Jazirah al-Hari. She approached a [British]
tank standing guard at one end of the village, and said: 'My parents will
not come, but we need water.' The tank driver leant down and gave her a
bottle of water. 'This is why we've come, isn't it?' he said."
The Daily Telegraph (UK), 4-1-03
"U.S. troops [are] getting a very warm welcome from the local Shia
population. Now naturally, the Shiites...have no love lost for the Iraqi
leader President Saddam Hussein. They have been very repressed by him in
the past. And obviously...what they believe to be a continuous presence
that they can count on, interest from the U.S. troops is something that
they are quite happy to see."
Ryan Chilcote, CNN correspondent, 4-2-03
"Hundreds of Iraqis shouting 'Welcome to Iraq' greeted U.S. Marines who
entered the town of Shatra....'There's no problem here. We are happy to
see Americans,' one young man shouted. The welcome was a tonic for
soldiers who have not always received a warm reception despite the
confidence of U.S. and British leaders that the Iraqi people were waiting
to be freed from Saddam Hussein's repression. 'It's not every day you get
to liberate people,' said one delighted Marine."
The Independent (UK), 4-1-03
