No wonder Russia is having so much trouble in Chechnya.
Last week it was disclosed that two retired three-star generals — Vladislav Achalov (a former paratrooper and specialist in urban warfare) and Igor Maltsev (a specialist in air defense) — visited Baghdad recently and were awarded medals by Hussein. The awards were handed out by Iraqi Defense Minister Sultan Khashim Akhmed.
It was reported that the retired generals helped Hussein prepare a war plan to defeat the Americans. Achalov confirmed he was in Baghdad just before the war and received medals from Hussein for services rendered. He also told journalists that the defense of Baghdad was well organized, U.S. tanks would be burned if they enter the city and U.S. infantry would be slaughtered. According to Achalov, the only way the allies could ever take Baghdad and other Iraqi cities was to raze them to the ground by carpet bombing.
(via InstaPundit)
Yeah, I heard that one.
Did you hear that a bunch of KGB Generals, including the last head of the organization, are on the Homeland Security payroll as consultants? Word has it that they’re highly amused by the turn to the hard right we’re headed.
No, I haven’t heard. Any cites would be useful.
Okay, well here’s one (repeated widely elsewhere), mentioning Primakov and Karpov. Of course, Primakov was also Russian Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister, too.
Actually, all the references I find, in a brief survey, point back to Al Martin, who claims to be pointing to some other news story I can’t find. And Al’s hardly the, um, most stable-sounding news source out there. I can’t find any other references to HS and Primakov, nor to Karpov.
Given Primakov’s anti-US, anti-NATO, pro-Iraq stance, it doesn’t sound terribly likely.
I had something bookmarked that I’ll try to dig out.
Putin cannot be a happy man right now. Serves him right.