April 6th:
Iraqi National Congress founder, Ahmed Chalabi is flown into the southern Iraqi
city of Nasiriyah by the Pentagon. Chalabi, along with 700 fighters of his
"Free Iraqi Forces" are airlifted aboard four massive C17 military
transport planes. Chalabi and the INC are Washington favorites to head the new
Iraqi government. A photograph is taken of Chalabi and members of his Free
Iraqi Forces militia as they arrive in Nasiriyah.
April 9th: One of the "most memorable images of the war" is created
when U.S. troops pull down the statue of Saddam Hussein in Fardus Square. Oddly
enough... a photograph is taken of a man who bears an uncanny resemblance to
one of Chalabi's militia members... he is near Fardus Square to greet the
Marines. How many members of the pro-American Free Iraqi Forces were in and
around Fardus Square as the statue of Saddam came tumbling down?
The up close action video of the statue being destroyed is broadcast around the
world as proof of a massive uprising. Still photos grabbed off of Reuters show
a long-shot view of Fardus Square... it's empty save for the U.S. Marines, the
International Press, and a small handful of Iraqis. There are no more than 200
people in the square at best. The Marines have the square sealed off and
guarded by tanks. A U.S. mechanized vehicle is used to pull the statue of
Saddam from it's base. The entire event is being hailed as an equivalent of the
Berlin Wall falling... but even a quick glance of the long-shot photo shows
something more akin to a carefully constructed media event tailored for the
television cameras.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article2842.htm