TROOPS GET GREETING THEY'VE BEEN WAITING FOR.
April 2 2003
By Oliver Poole Central Iraq
The welcome they had hoped for finally greeted American troops, as waving Iraqis lined streets when the advance to Baghdad resumed this week.
The scenes did much to lift the spirits of the troops as convoys of tanks wound their way through a town on the west bank of the Euphrates.
"Maybe this is the parade they had promised us," Sergeant Gary Harrison said. "They sure seem happy to see us. Let's hope they aren't the only ones."
As they passed, hundreds, possibly thousands, of people emerged from their houses to signal their welcome.
Whole families stood outside their homes, the children smiling and their parents urging the Americans forward. Young men stood in clusters, and women put down the clothes they had been washing in the river and waved.
Captain David Waldron, commander of a tank company, said: "When we drove into this town and I saw the crowds, I told everyone to keep their head down. But they were so obviously friendly that I ended up waving back, too.
"We've been hearing this from a number of areas now. It seems the message is getting through what we are doing here."
From the buildings above the advancing Americans were hung not only white flags, to indicate that the occupants were non-combatants, but also green flags to demonstrate that they were from the majority Shiite community, long persecuted by Saddam Hussein.
Monday's demonstration was the first large welcome the Americans had received.
Individual Iraqis had previously approached to give warning about Iraqi forces in buildings during the unit's sparring with paramilitaries further south.
Maybe the power of Saddam is finally beginning to weaken. Maybe the fact that the Americans are now so far north means people are beginning to believe they are here to stay this time.
Whatever the reason, as the children ran beside the huge American tanks, US soldiers dared to hope that the true feelings towards the "invaders" had finally been revealed.
Elsewhere on Monday, US marines raided the town of Shatra, north of Nasiriyah. Hundreds of Iraqis shouting "Welcome to Iraq" greeted them as they entered the town, a Reuters correspondent with the marines said.
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