INSIGHT INTO THE OLD IRAQI ARMY

As we drove across the countryside I was amazed to see the army's commanders had actually deployed combat forces out into the open. Contrary to claims made by Baghdad press officials that the Iraqi army would fight in the streets, the bulk of Saddam's tanks, artillery, and heavy weapons appeared to have been ordered out of their casernes and onto the barren desert plains. Although there were some earthwork structures for protection, no camouflage nets had been erected and I couldn't help but think that thousands of poor conscripts were going to be sitting ducks for the U.S. air force.

"It makes it more difficult for them to desert," said Anmar. "If they were in the cities, these soldiers would have already melted away back to their homes."