posted on March 30, 2004 03:28:19 PM new
Rumors are a bombardment that never stops Coalition team fighting a war of information
By Tom Squitieri
USA TODAY
Fighting the information war on the streets and in the bazaars of Iraq's cities and villages is proving as tough as combating the elusive fighters who attack soldiers. In November, the coalition set up a 50-member rumor-control team in recognition of the importance of the information war. The team monitors rumors on the streets and in cafes, what's published in countless Iraqi newspapers and what appears on television.
Every morning at 8:45, the rumor-control team meets to review intelligence reports and daily digests of the articles in the dozens of newspapers that have sprouted since Saddam's fall. Team members scan a daily tip sheet of rumors from the street, compiled by Iraqi staffers and U.S. and British intelligence officials.
The rumors vary. After a bombing, bystanders will often wave chunks of metal and claim that they are shrapnel from U.S. grenades responsible for the attack. Coalition officials have also picked up rumors that toys passed out by U.S. soldiers trigger deadly diseases in children.
Other rumors officials are combating:
* Saddam is in a Colorado ski resort.
* Israel is behind the invasion of Iraq.
* The United States is holding back on electricity distribution to punish Iraqis.
* The night-vision goggles used by U.S. soldiers lets them see through the clothing of Iraqi women.
posted on March 30, 2004 04:30:54 PM new
LMHO Kiara!! If I know men, and there were goggles available to see through clothes, every man would have a pair (or two) no matter how much they cost.
posted on March 30, 2004 07:34:50 PM new
Don't laugh just yet. Recently there was a popular brand video camera with night vision technology that it was discovered that when it was used in the daytime in night vision mode it would see right through clothing. I beleive it was a Sony but I could be wrong. After this discovery it was pulled from the market, but a few were sold.
