Journalist Cristian Tudor Popescu harshly criticizes the promotion of Nicolae Ciucă as a “war hero” in the face of contradictions and changes in political position.
Cristian Tudor Popescu after the revelations related to Ciucă – PHOTO Inquam Photos Bogdan Ioan Buda
In a recent reaction titled “Saint Ciucă“, journalist Cristian Tudor Popescu (CTP) highlights the discrepancies between the image of “war hero” presented in the election campaign of Nicolae Ciucă and the real facts discovered by the Recorder investigation.
Two Italian generals stated in the investigation that the battalion led by Nicolae Ciucă was not directly involved in the fighting in Nassiriya, operating only in the Suq al Shuyukh area. A former military policeman confirmed that the Romanians did not intervene in the ambush in the city. Meanwhile, in the first campaign spot, Nicolae Ciucă is presented as a hero.
“The Recorder publishes an investigation in which Gen. Nicolae Ciucă does not appear at all as a war hero, the “hero from Nassirya”. On the other hand, the PNL clip promoting the presidential candidate Ciucă presents him as a brave soldier, who “kept fighting so many enemies”. Everyone can believe what they want.“, wrote Cristian Tudor Popescu on Facebook.
CTP then pointed out that Nicolae Ciucă, who promised not to do politics after serving as Chief of the Defense Staff, has now enthusiastically launched himself into various political positions, calling into question the veracity of his previous commitments.
“The undersigned has only one certainty: a military man who, being the head of the Romanian Army, for whom the given word is sacred, after he declares loud and clear: “I consider so sacred the honor and dignity of having been the head of the Defense General Staff that, regardless of what would be proposed to me, I will do nothing else. Once you were the Chief of the Defense Staff… It represents the highest dignity for each of us. And I believe that this position should not be overshadowed by the activity in another field. I will not do politics” (2018, interview with Radio Romania Actualității), he cheerfully throws his ass into all the jokes that Iohannis threw at him, he is capable of any smiling lie.“, added Cristian Tudor Popescu.
“They were not part of the main fighting effort”
Two Italian generals, Luigi Scollo and Gian Marco Chiarini, stated in a Recorder investigation that the battalion led by Nicolae Ciucă, the “Red Scorpions”, during the battle in Nassiriya (Iraq) was not directly involved in the major clashes in the city. According to them, the Romanian troops operated in the Suq al Shuyukh area, far from the intense fighting in Nassiriya.
“I may say that they took part in the battle by engaging, in April, when they covered the flank of my troops, which they did. And in May, the only thing I can say is that the Romanian military police were fighting alongside the carabinieri. That would be it. So, in a way, they participated. But they were not part of the main fighting effort“, was the conclusion of General Luigi Scollo, regimental commander.
Also, former military policeman Roberto Cremene claimed that Ciucă’s battalion did not intervene in the ambush in the city and that the presence of Romanians in Nassiriya was limited.
The Italian generals nevertheless appreciated the efforts of the Romanians, noting that they contributed to the protection of the flanks and that they participated in some support actions.
On the same day the investigation was published, the head of the PNL released a video on social media to promote his book “In the service of the country“. The video includes images from the Romanian army’s missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, highlighting Nicolae Ciucă’s involvement in the battle of Nassiriya and culminating in his decoration by the US.
