Originally Posted by Robbie01:
“Why should the families be scrutinised in the way you suggest? One of my friend's relatives was killed in Iraq back in 2003 (he was one of the Red Caps shot dead by a 400 strong mob in June that year) and I can assure you that his family are still devastated by his death and they quite rightly have an extreme anger towards Tony Blair. Basically the families are angry because we invaded Iraq on seemingly a pack of lies and the troops didn't even have the right sort of equipment to help protect themselves.
The Kurds gassed to death were killed in the 1980s and there was enough coverage of that in the press and on Radio 4 at the time. And 5 Live have interviewed victims of Saddam Hussein on numerous occasions over the years. Of course when things are "closer to home" and it is a UK citizen that has been killed then the news is going to concentrate more on that.”
Indeed, and who spoke more eloquently on the day of the Chilcot Report that Reg Keys, Father of another Red Cap who died in the same incident? No hysteria, just calm, plain speaking stating the facts. Unlike Blair's 2 hour press conference of spin, which was disgraceful.
In June 2003, the Red Caps' Commanding Officer had already returned home, but they had to stay behind, having been descaled, ie their equipment was considerably reduced so it could be passed on to new arrivals. Consequently they were trapped with a baying mob of hundreds, 6 young men with no radio to call for back up, no grenades to disperse the attackers, and only 50 rounds of ammunition. They knew the situation was hopeless and they would be killed in the most appalling way. Our Prime Minister was responsible for that. If that was your son, would you not be angry? Especially, as Reg Keys so rightly said, his son "died in vain". What was the cause all about? Nothing tangible whatsoever.
As for the Kurds, some do phone up LBC, and I even had a Kurdish man deliver my shopping from Tesco the other week. He was a political prisoner kept in horrendous conditions and his family was killed under Saddam's regime. But even he was contemptuous of Bush and Blair and their motives for invasion. He described how Yazidis were treated now.