WAR: Militant Flyers Say Baghdad Streets Will Be Washed With Blood

Armed militants have been distributing flyers in an eastern neighbourhood of Baghdad, threatening to wash the streets with the blood of voters. The flyer states that car bombs, rockets and mortars have already been prepared for the polling stations. It advises all Iraqi's to stay at least 500 metres away from polling stations to avoid injury, and warns the US will not be able to protect them.



If I was an average Iraqi, I think that those flyers would certainly give me pause. If these statements are true, then the US forces are in for a rough time. But even if they aren't true, they may have been enough to scare some Iraqi's away from participating in the process. I hope this exercise in democracy doesn't turn into a tragedy.

With out a doubt these threats will have some impact on the voting. But there will be many who will be defiant against these threats and still attempt to vote.

I would love to be able to say these are idle threats, but I doubt they are.

I hate to say that I think there will be many deaths during the voting period.

Yes it ought to be a record low voter turnout... they need to allow people to mail in votes or something... otherwise they will have a president elected by a very small group of people that had balls to vote... (well at least the "strong' will lead... or is it more the "stupid" who will lead)

good opportunity for an extremist group to take control...
what if the terrorist leader got elected?

it would probably only take a thousand votes or so...

Originally posted by LazarusTheLong
Yes it ought to be a record low voter turnout

What would you consider a record low for free elections in iraq?

... they need to allow people to mail in votes or something

There is not postal service is there?

otherwise they will have a president elected by a very small group of people that had balls to vote

Seems like they should get to decide

good opportunity for an extremist group to take control...
what if the terrorist leader got elected?

He's not running

One thing I've been wondering about is if voter turnout is low enough, there is a possibility that the govt could be elected by Iraqi's living outside the country. And while they have every right to vote, it seems to me that the whole point is for the people that live there to have their say.

Something like 80% of Iraqis are believed to be voting in this election. Low turnout won't be a problem. It wasn't a problem in Afghanistan. Many people, women in particular, thought they would die there. They still went.

Good for the Afghani's I hope the same will happen in Iraq, and that this is just a scare tactic, and not a warning of what's to come.

Wow, last time they voted in an election (yes i know it was fixed) they would have been shot if they didn't vote for saddam. Now they are going ot get shot for voting.

I am suer glad America invaded and deposed Saddam

Really tho, there are going ot be large numbers of voters and it is a chance for Iraqi citezans to show they are not a minority and will not cower becasue of terrorist threats

Our American Revolution cost a great number of lives. Our Civil War the bloodiest in our history. If anyone thinks it won't be the same in Iraq is foolish. Either they want to be free or not.