That's 'destroy' as in 'destroy', thanks BBC.
British forces say they have staged a raid into the southern city of Basra to destroy a statue of Saddam Hussein. As many as six Iraqi tanks and more heavy artillery were also hit. The tank squadrons and armed infantry of the 7th Armoured Brigade met what was described as live resistance by Iraqi forces inside the city. Their aim, according to one senior British officer, was to destroy one statue of Saddam Hussein. But the ground forces reported back the destruction of two. The main statue was located in the centre of the city. The operation required tanks to move further forward inside the city limits before returning to their positions on the outskirts. The reported destruction of the statues represents another attempt by British forces in the south to target symbols of Baathist power and disconnect the party from the people. "This is a message to the people of Basra that these guys are consigned to history," one source said.
| I'm not sure this is a good idea. For one thing, it's a waste of time and resources for something that's only symbolic. Let the Iraqis do it — he's their dictator. We should concentrate on catching and killing Bad Guys. Once enough of them are dead, the Iraqis will be happy to tear down all the Sammy statues and 20-foot portraits they can lay hands on. |
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