G1V3 UP! W3 0WN J00! Okay, that's probably not *exactly* what the SMS spam allegedly issued by the CIA this to military leaders throughout the mideast said, but that was more or less the point. According to this story by Jack Kelley in USA Today, and this one a day later by Farhad Manjoo in Slate, the CIA has been bombarding Iraqi generals and other officials with mobile phone text-messages, e-mail, and voicemail encouraging them to abandon their support for Saddam Hussein in exchange for — well, not being killed by the United States. An SMS offer they can't refuse. Like those CENTCOM leaflets dropped by the millions on Iraq, only in ASCII. From the Slate story:
Jack Kelley, a reporter for USA Today, wrote on Monday of Iraqi Maj. Gen. Abdul Qassab, who is apparently the object of intense wooing from the U.S. Every day for the past few months, the general has received an anonymous phone call telling him to "give yourself up. You cannot win. You will be saved if you defect."
Reuters has also reported the text of e-mails being sent to Iraqis asking them not to use weapons of mass destruction. One read as follows: "If you provide information on weapons of mass destruction or you take steps to hamper their use we will do what is necessary to protect you and protect your families. Failing to do that will lead to grave personal consequences."
Kelley reports that the campaign has been largely unsuccessful so far. If SMS spam isn't a violation of the Geneva convention, I don't know what is. Discuss
