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US TROOPS CAPTURE CHEMICAL PLANT
US TROOPS CAPTURE CHEMICAL PLANT
The Jerusalem Post
Caroline Glick Mar. 23, 2003
About 30 Iraqi troops, including a general, surrendered today to US forces of the 3rd Infantry Division as they overtook huge installation apparently used to produce chemical weapons in An Najaf, some 250 kilometers south of Baghdad.
One soldier was lightly wounded when a booby-trapped explosive went off as he was clearing the sheet metal-lined facility, which resembles the eery images of scientific facilities in World War II concentration camps.
The huge 100-acre complex, which is surrounded by a electrical fence, is perhaps the first illegal chemical plant to be uncovered by US troops in their current mission in Iraq. The surrounding barracks resemble an abandoned slum.
It wasn't immediately clear exactly which chemicals were being produced here, but clearly the Iraqis tried to camouflage the facility so it could not be photographed aerially, by swathing it in sand-cast walls to make it look like the surrounding desert.
Within minutes of our entry into the camp on Sunday afternoon, at least 30 Iraqi soldiers and their commanding officer of the rank of General, obeyed the instructions of US soldiers who called out from our jeep in loudspeakers for them to lie down on the ground, and put their hands above their heads to surrender.
Today's operation is the third engagement with Iraqi forces by the First Brigade of the US army's 3rd Infantry Division, since Saturday afternoon.
So far in the campaign, the brigade has suffered no losses. But two were wounded Saturday night in an ambush on the outskirts of As-Samwah in southern Iraq.
(still waiting for independant confirmation for all you jew haters)
US TROOPS CAPTURE CHEMICAL PLANT
The Jerusalem Post
Caroline Glick Mar. 23, 2003
About 30 Iraqi troops, including a general, surrendered today to US forces of the 3rd Infantry Division as they overtook huge installation apparently used to produce chemical weapons in An Najaf, some 250 kilometers south of Baghdad.
One soldier was lightly wounded when a booby-trapped explosive went off as he was clearing the sheet metal-lined facility, which resembles the eery images of scientific facilities in World War II concentration camps.
The huge 100-acre complex, which is surrounded by a electrical fence, is perhaps the first illegal chemical plant to be uncovered by US troops in their current mission in Iraq. The surrounding barracks resemble an abandoned slum.
It wasn't immediately clear exactly which chemicals were being produced here, but clearly the Iraqis tried to camouflage the facility so it could not be photographed aerially, by swathing it in sand-cast walls to make it look like the surrounding desert.
Within minutes of our entry into the camp on Sunday afternoon, at least 30 Iraqi soldiers and their commanding officer of the rank of General, obeyed the instructions of US soldiers who called out from our jeep in loudspeakers for them to lie down on the ground, and put their hands above their heads to surrender.
Today's operation is the third engagement with Iraqi forces by the First Brigade of the US army's 3rd Infantry Division, since Saturday afternoon.
So far in the campaign, the brigade has suffered no losses. But two were wounded Saturday night in an ambush on the outskirts of As-Samwah in southern Iraq.
(still waiting for independant confirmation for all you jew haters)
FatFinaHead
New member
Reuters
Sunday, March 23, 2003; 3:15 PM
By Luke Baker and Rosalind Russell
SOUTHERN IRAQ (Reuters) - Charred Iraqi corpses smolder in burned-out trucks. Black smoke hangs over bombed cities where U.S. troops battle Iraqi soldiers. Youths greet British tanks with smiles, then sneer when they have passed.
Reuters correspondents in southern Iraq -- some with U.S.-led forces, some operating independently -- watched the war to topple Saddam Hussein unfold on Sunday as U.S. convoys advanced on Baghdad and battles raged for control of key cities.
In the desert near the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf, just 100 miles south of Baghdad, correspondent Luke Baker traveled through a plain littered with Iraqi bodies and gutted vehicles after U.S. forces fought a seven-hour battle against militiamen desperately trying to halt their advance.
Some vehicles were still smoldering, and charred ribs were the only recognizable part of three burned bodies in a destroyed car lying in the roadside dust.
"It wasn't even a fair fight. I don't know why they don't just surrender," said Col. Mark Hildenbrand, commander of the 937th Engineer Group. "When you're playing soccer at home, 3-2 is a fair score, but here it's more like 119-0."
U.S. troops showed reporters a hideout said to have been used by an Iraqi militiaman. The soldier who had used the hideout had only a filthy blanket to protect him from the cold desert nights, and just a plastic bag of raw meat for food.
When he fled, he left behind a picture of his two children.
Southeast of Najaf, Reuters correspondent Sean Maguire saw explosions and huge plumes of smoke over Nassiriya, a strategic city on the Euphrates river where U.S. forces have been fighting to secure bridges to allow them to advance toward Baghdad.
"It looks like artillery, or possibly air strikes," said Maguire, traveling with the U.S. 1st Marine Division.
BLACK SMOKE, WHITE FLAGS
In the southeastern city of Umm Qasr, Iraq's only deep-water port, U.S. and British forces used planes and tanks in a battle to dislodge at least 120 Iraqi Republican Guards.
Reuters correspondent Adrian Croft said British Harrier jets had dropped 500-pound bombs on the city, sending columns of black smoke curling into the air. When the bombing ended, some Iraqis could be seen waving white flags and surrendering.
As night fell U.S. soldiers were still using machinegun, artillery and mortar fire in an attempt to flush out another group of Iraqi fighters from a hideout.
Civilians streamed out of Umm Qasr and the city of Basra. Reuters correspondent Rosalind Russell, south of Basra, watched dozens of trucks and battered cars pass, crammed full with household belongings.
Machine gun and artillery fire echoed behind them.
"There is fighting in the center, on the streets. It is terrible," said Hussein, a 24-year-old engineer who works for the state-run southern oil company in Basra.
"We don't want Americans here. This is Iraq."
One group of Iraqi boys on the side of the road smiled and waved as a convoy of British tanks and trucks rolled by.
But once it had passed, leaving a trail of dust and grit in its wake, their smiles turned to scowls.
"We don't want them here," said 17-year-old Fouad, looking angrily up at the plumes of gray smoke rising from Basra.
He pulled a piece of paper from the waistband of his trousers. Unfolding it, he held up a picture of Saddam, showing the Iraqi leader sitting on a throne with a benign smile.
"Saddam is our leader," he said defiantly. "Saddam is good."
Sunday, March 23, 2003; 3:15 PM
By Luke Baker and Rosalind Russell
SOUTHERN IRAQ (Reuters) - Charred Iraqi corpses smolder in burned-out trucks. Black smoke hangs over bombed cities where U.S. troops battle Iraqi soldiers. Youths greet British tanks with smiles, then sneer when they have passed.
Reuters correspondents in southern Iraq -- some with U.S.-led forces, some operating independently -- watched the war to topple Saddam Hussein unfold on Sunday as U.S. convoys advanced on Baghdad and battles raged for control of key cities.
In the desert near the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf, just 100 miles south of Baghdad, correspondent Luke Baker traveled through a plain littered with Iraqi bodies and gutted vehicles after U.S. forces fought a seven-hour battle against militiamen desperately trying to halt their advance.
Some vehicles were still smoldering, and charred ribs were the only recognizable part of three burned bodies in a destroyed car lying in the roadside dust.
"It wasn't even a fair fight. I don't know why they don't just surrender," said Col. Mark Hildenbrand, commander of the 937th Engineer Group. "When you're playing soccer at home, 3-2 is a fair score, but here it's more like 119-0."
U.S. troops showed reporters a hideout said to have been used by an Iraqi militiaman. The soldier who had used the hideout had only a filthy blanket to protect him from the cold desert nights, and just a plastic bag of raw meat for food.
When he fled, he left behind a picture of his two children.
Southeast of Najaf, Reuters correspondent Sean Maguire saw explosions and huge plumes of smoke over Nassiriya, a strategic city on the Euphrates river where U.S. forces have been fighting to secure bridges to allow them to advance toward Baghdad.
"It looks like artillery, or possibly air strikes," said Maguire, traveling with the U.S. 1st Marine Division.
BLACK SMOKE, WHITE FLAGS
In the southeastern city of Umm Qasr, Iraq's only deep-water port, U.S. and British forces used planes and tanks in a battle to dislodge at least 120 Iraqi Republican Guards.
Reuters correspondent Adrian Croft said British Harrier jets had dropped 500-pound bombs on the city, sending columns of black smoke curling into the air. When the bombing ended, some Iraqis could be seen waving white flags and surrendering.
As night fell U.S. soldiers were still using machinegun, artillery and mortar fire in an attempt to flush out another group of Iraqi fighters from a hideout.
Civilians streamed out of Umm Qasr and the city of Basra. Reuters correspondent Rosalind Russell, south of Basra, watched dozens of trucks and battered cars pass, crammed full with household belongings.
Machine gun and artillery fire echoed behind them.
"There is fighting in the center, on the streets. It is terrible," said Hussein, a 24-year-old engineer who works for the state-run southern oil company in Basra.
"We don't want Americans here. This is Iraq."
One group of Iraqi boys on the side of the road smiled and waved as a convoy of British tanks and trucks rolled by.
But once it had passed, leaving a trail of dust and grit in its wake, their smiles turned to scowls.
"We don't want them here," said 17-year-old Fouad, looking angrily up at the plumes of gray smoke rising from Basra.
He pulled a piece of paper from the waistband of his trousers. Unfolding it, he held up a picture of Saddam, showing the Iraqi leader sitting on a throne with a benign smile.
"Saddam is our leader," he said defiantly. "Saddam is good."
FatFinaHead
New member
Ground War on Baghdad Seen by Tuesday-UK Source
Sun March 23, 2003 06:35 AM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - The ground war to capture Baghdad should begin by Tuesday, with no plan for U.S.-British troops to get bogged down fighting in Iraq's second city of Basra, a British defense source said on Sunday.
"We're looking toward Monday night, Tuesday for the ground offensive on Baghdad," the source told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
"The important thing is not to take Basra but to get through it and get to the north. We won't get into fighting in downtown Basra."
The source said thousands of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's elite Republican Guard forces were dug in around the capital city of Baghdad and that U.S.-British forces expected to encounter fierce resistance.
"That will be a tough fight. It will be interesting to see how they play it," the source said.
U.S.-British forces would move up to Baghdad and then assess the situation, he said, suggesting Iraqi troops may be softened up with heavy air bombardment before ground forces move in.
"I wouldn't be surprised to see a massive barrage from the air," he said. "You are dealing with a different enemy. The Republican Guard are going to put up a proper fight."
He said that U.S.-British forces did not plan on getting distracted by firefights on the way to the capital and that it was key to push on and keep supply routes open.
"Baghdad is the only one to watch. That is what this is all about. It needs to be looked at as the main focus," he said.
After a fierce battle, an armored U.S. column pushed on toward the central city of Najaf and came within 110 miles of the Iraqi capital, a Reuters reporter said.
Sun March 23, 2003 06:35 AM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - The ground war to capture Baghdad should begin by Tuesday, with no plan for U.S.-British troops to get bogged down fighting in Iraq's second city of Basra, a British defense source said on Sunday.
"We're looking toward Monday night, Tuesday for the ground offensive on Baghdad," the source told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
"The important thing is not to take Basra but to get through it and get to the north. We won't get into fighting in downtown Basra."
The source said thousands of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's elite Republican Guard forces were dug in around the capital city of Baghdad and that U.S.-British forces expected to encounter fierce resistance.
"That will be a tough fight. It will be interesting to see how they play it," the source said.
U.S.-British forces would move up to Baghdad and then assess the situation, he said, suggesting Iraqi troops may be softened up with heavy air bombardment before ground forces move in.
"I wouldn't be surprised to see a massive barrage from the air," he said. "You are dealing with a different enemy. The Republican Guard are going to put up a proper fight."
He said that U.S.-British forces did not plan on getting distracted by firefights on the way to the capital and that it was key to push on and keep supply routes open.
"Baghdad is the only one to watch. That is what this is all about. It needs to be looked at as the main focus," he said.
After a fierce battle, an armored U.S. column pushed on toward the central city of Najaf and came within 110 miles of the Iraqi capital, a Reuters reporter said.
FatFinaHead
New member
THIS ONE REALLY BURNS MY ASS. Please read this gut wrenching story.
Just thought I would give a few words of insperation!
Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.
Rangers Lead The Way!
By ROBERT H. REID
The Associated Press
Sunday, March 23, 2003; 3:01 PM
Arab television on Sunday aired Iraqi footage of purported dead Americans, some sprawled in a room, and interviews with five seemingly tense U.S. prisoners.
U.S. officials confirmed that up to 10 soldiers and perhaps one aircraft were missing in southern Iraq, and that some may have been lured into a trap by Iraqi soldiers pretending to surrender.
The casualties and the interviews with four men and a woman were broadcast by the Arab satellite station Al-Jazeera with footage from state-controlled Iraqi television. Each was interviewed individually and gave their names and their home states. They spoke with American accents into a microphone labeled "Iraqi Television."
One prisoner identified herself as Shauna, 30, from Texas. Her eyes darted back and forth as she was interviewed and she held her arms tightly in her lap as she was questioned.
At one point, the camera panned back, showing that a massive white bandage wrapped around her ankle. Her voice was very shaky.
One prisoner, who said he was from El Paso, Texas, stared directly at the camera and spoke in a clear direct voice, often shaking his head and cupping his ear slightly to try to indicate that he couldn't hear one of several questions being shot at him from around the room.
The footage said the American soldiers were captured during fighting around An Nasiriyah, a major crossing point over the Euphrates River northwest of Basra.
The woman identified as Shauna also said she was from the 507th Maintenance. There are 507th Maintenance companies both in the Air Force and Army.
The prisoners looked scared. One captive, who said he was from Kansas, answered all his questions in a shaky voice, his eyes darting back and forth between and interviewer and another person who couldn't be seen on camera.
Asked why he came to Iraq, he simply replied "I come to fix broke stuff."
Prodded again by the interviewer, he was asked if he came to shoot Iraqis.
"No I come to shoot only if I am shot at," he said. "They (Iraqis) don't bother me, I don't bother them."
Another prisoner said only: "I follow orders."
A voice off-camera asked "how many officers" were in his unit.
"I don't know sir," the man replied.
Iraqi TV attempted to interview a wounded man lying down, at one point trying to cradle his head so it would hold steady for the camera.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said some American soldiers are missing in the fighting in Iraq and possibly being held as prisoners. The Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman said he thought fewer than 10 soldiers were missing in southern Iraq and that military officials were trying to account for them. "Beyond that, we don't know," Gen. Richard Myers said on Fox television.
President Bush demanded that any American prisoners of war be treated humanely by Iraq.
Bush, returning to the White House from Camp David, said he did not have all the details, but expected that Iraq treat any prisoners "humanely, just like we'll treat any Iraqi prisoners."
In Cairo, Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri said the casualties were proof the Iraqi military would fight. "What happened today showed that we're not surrendering easily. It is proof we're strong and it is not an easy invasion."
Al-Jazeera later showed footage of what appeared to be a fuel or water carrier parked alongside a highway and a body in uniform with full gear and still wearing a helmet lying behind the carrier.
Showing the television footage may have been Iraq's way of testing America's resolve in the war. In Somalia in 1993, American audiences were outraged by television pictures showing Somali crowds dragging the bodies of American soldiers through the streets of Mogadishu: U.S. troops were pulled out of Somalia shortly after the incident.
© 2003 The Associated Press
Just thought I would give a few words of insperation!
Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.
Rangers Lead The Way!
By ROBERT H. REID
The Associated Press
Sunday, March 23, 2003; 3:01 PM
Arab television on Sunday aired Iraqi footage of purported dead Americans, some sprawled in a room, and interviews with five seemingly tense U.S. prisoners.
U.S. officials confirmed that up to 10 soldiers and perhaps one aircraft were missing in southern Iraq, and that some may have been lured into a trap by Iraqi soldiers pretending to surrender.
The casualties and the interviews with four men and a woman were broadcast by the Arab satellite station Al-Jazeera with footage from state-controlled Iraqi television. Each was interviewed individually and gave their names and their home states. They spoke with American accents into a microphone labeled "Iraqi Television."
One prisoner identified herself as Shauna, 30, from Texas. Her eyes darted back and forth as she was interviewed and she held her arms tightly in her lap as she was questioned.
At one point, the camera panned back, showing that a massive white bandage wrapped around her ankle. Her voice was very shaky.
One prisoner, who said he was from El Paso, Texas, stared directly at the camera and spoke in a clear direct voice, often shaking his head and cupping his ear slightly to try to indicate that he couldn't hear one of several questions being shot at him from around the room.
The footage said the American soldiers were captured during fighting around An Nasiriyah, a major crossing point over the Euphrates River northwest of Basra.
The woman identified as Shauna also said she was from the 507th Maintenance. There are 507th Maintenance companies both in the Air Force and Army.
The prisoners looked scared. One captive, who said he was from Kansas, answered all his questions in a shaky voice, his eyes darting back and forth between and interviewer and another person who couldn't be seen on camera.
Asked why he came to Iraq, he simply replied "I come to fix broke stuff."
Prodded again by the interviewer, he was asked if he came to shoot Iraqis.
"No I come to shoot only if I am shot at," he said. "They (Iraqis) don't bother me, I don't bother them."
Another prisoner said only: "I follow orders."
A voice off-camera asked "how many officers" were in his unit.
"I don't know sir," the man replied.
Iraqi TV attempted to interview a wounded man lying down, at one point trying to cradle his head so it would hold steady for the camera.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said some American soldiers are missing in the fighting in Iraq and possibly being held as prisoners. The Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman said he thought fewer than 10 soldiers were missing in southern Iraq and that military officials were trying to account for them. "Beyond that, we don't know," Gen. Richard Myers said on Fox television.
President Bush demanded that any American prisoners of war be treated humanely by Iraq.
Bush, returning to the White House from Camp David, said he did not have all the details, but expected that Iraq treat any prisoners "humanely, just like we'll treat any Iraqi prisoners."
In Cairo, Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri said the casualties were proof the Iraqi military would fight. "What happened today showed that we're not surrendering easily. It is proof we're strong and it is not an easy invasion."
Al-Jazeera later showed footage of what appeared to be a fuel or water carrier parked alongside a highway and a body in uniform with full gear and still wearing a helmet lying behind the carrier.
Showing the television footage may have been Iraq's way of testing America's resolve in the war. In Somalia in 1993, American audiences were outraged by television pictures showing Somali crowds dragging the bodies of American soldiers through the streets of Mogadishu: U.S. troops were pulled out of Somalia shortly after the incident.
© 2003 The Associated Press
D
DcupSheepNipples
Guest
OPERATION: IRAQI FREEDOM
U.S. captures Iraqi chemical-weapons plant
100-acre, camouflaged facility overtaken 90 miles south of Baghdad
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: March 23, 2003
4:00 p.m. Eastern
U.S. forces have uncovered an illegal chemical-weapons plant in An Najaf, some 90 miles south of Baghdad, according to a report in the Jerusalem Post.
At least 30 Iraqi troops, including a general, surrendered today to troops with the 3rd Infantry Division within minutes of U.S. forces entering the area to capture the huge sheet metal-lined chemical weapons production facility.
One U.S. soldier was wounded when a booby-trapped explosive went off at the 100-acre complex, which is surrounded by a electrical fence.
The surrounding barracks resemble an abandoned slum and the facility was camouflaged in sand-cast walls to make it look like the surrounding desert, in an apparent attempt to keep it from being photographed aerially, according to the Jerusalem Post.
U.S. Lt. Gen. John Abizaid told reporters: ''I'm not going to confirm that report, but we have one or two generals officers who are providing us with information.''
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
U.S. captures Iraqi chemical-weapons plant
100-acre, camouflaged facility overtaken 90 miles south of Baghdad
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: March 23, 2003
4:00 p.m. Eastern
U.S. forces have uncovered an illegal chemical-weapons plant in An Najaf, some 90 miles south of Baghdad, according to a report in the Jerusalem Post.
At least 30 Iraqi troops, including a general, surrendered today to troops with the 3rd Infantry Division within minutes of U.S. forces entering the area to capture the huge sheet metal-lined chemical weapons production facility.
One U.S. soldier was wounded when a booby-trapped explosive went off at the 100-acre complex, which is surrounded by a electrical fence.
The surrounding barracks resemble an abandoned slum and the facility was camouflaged in sand-cast walls to make it look like the surrounding desert, in an apparent attempt to keep it from being photographed aerially, according to the Jerusalem Post.
U.S. Lt. Gen. John Abizaid told reporters: ''I'm not going to confirm that report, but we have one or two generals officers who are providing us with information.''
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
D
DcupSheepNipples
Guest
All violations of UN Resolutions!
US Protests Russian Arms Sales To Iraq
3-23-3
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Sunday it had protested to Moscow about reports that Russian firms have sold Iraq antitank missiles, night vision goggles and jamming gear.
A State Department spokeswoman said Moscow's response had not been satisfactory.
U.S. and British forces are fighting Iraq in an effort to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and to find and destroy Iraq's suspected weapons of mass destruction. Iraq has denied it has such weapons.
The Washington Post reported on Sunday that the United States recently delivered a protest to the Russian government for refusing to stop Russian arms dealers from providing illegal weapons and assistance to the Iraqi military.
The newspaper cited Bush administration sources as saying one Russian company was helping the Iraqi military to deploy electronic jamming equipment against U.S. planes and bombs and two others have sold antitank missiles and thousands of night-vision goggles in violation of U.N. sanctions.
The sources told the newspaper Moscow had ignored U.S. concerns about the potential threat to U.S. forces.
"We regard this as a very serious matter," State Department spokeswoman Brenda Greenberg said. "We thus have raised this issue with the Russian government a number of times, including at senior levels and particularly over the past two weeks. The response so far has not been satisfactory.
"We hope that the responsible Russian agencies will take our concerns seriously," she said. "We are very concerned about reports that Russian firms are selling militarily sensitive equipment to Iraq. Such equipment in the hands of the Iraqi military may pose a direct threat to U.S. and coalition armed forces."
Greenberg declined to say if the Washington Post report was accurate, saying she could not discuss intelligence matters.
Copyright © 2003 Reuters Limited.
US Protests Russian Arms Sales To Iraq
3-23-3
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Sunday it had protested to Moscow about reports that Russian firms have sold Iraq antitank missiles, night vision goggles and jamming gear.
A State Department spokeswoman said Moscow's response had not been satisfactory.
U.S. and British forces are fighting Iraq in an effort to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and to find and destroy Iraq's suspected weapons of mass destruction. Iraq has denied it has such weapons.
The Washington Post reported on Sunday that the United States recently delivered a protest to the Russian government for refusing to stop Russian arms dealers from providing illegal weapons and assistance to the Iraqi military.
The newspaper cited Bush administration sources as saying one Russian company was helping the Iraqi military to deploy electronic jamming equipment against U.S. planes and bombs and two others have sold antitank missiles and thousands of night-vision goggles in violation of U.N. sanctions.
The sources told the newspaper Moscow had ignored U.S. concerns about the potential threat to U.S. forces.
"We regard this as a very serious matter," State Department spokeswoman Brenda Greenberg said. "We thus have raised this issue with the Russian government a number of times, including at senior levels and particularly over the past two weeks. The response so far has not been satisfactory.
"We hope that the responsible Russian agencies will take our concerns seriously," she said. "We are very concerned about reports that Russian firms are selling militarily sensitive equipment to Iraq. Such equipment in the hands of the Iraqi military may pose a direct threat to U.S. and coalition armed forces."
Greenberg declined to say if the Washington Post report was accurate, saying she could not discuss intelligence matters.
Copyright © 2003 Reuters Limited.
D
DcupSheepNipples
Guest
Saddam Attack OK Under US Assassination Rules
3-23-3
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Sunday that a good start to changing the government in Iraq would be to kill President Saddam Hussein. But the United States is not supposed to be in the assassination business.
CIA plots to eliminate Cuba's Fidel Castro with poisoned cigars, an infected diving suit and exploding clam shells proved so embarrassing that an executive order from President Gerald Ford, subsequently reinforced by Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, barred the United States from engaging in assassinations.
Rumsfeld, asked on the CBS program "Face the Nation" on Sunday if killing Saddam was a good start to changing the regime, replied: "That's true, it would be."
So why doesn't last week's direct attack on the Iraqi leadership with laser-guided missiles and bunker-busting bombs qualify as an assassination attempt?
"In military conflict, command and control are legitimate targets," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer explained. U.S. officials described the Iraqi leadership as "targets of opportunity." President Bush called them "targets of military importance."
U.S. government lawyers determined that the attack on the compound where Saddam -- and perhaps his sons Uday and Qusay -- were believed to be was legal since the United States was at war with Iraq and it was deemed a command-and-control facility.
"The head of the chain of command in time of war would be considered a legitimate military target," said Warren Bass, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. "It would be like trying to kill Tojo or Hitler in the middle of World War II."
UNCLEAR IF SADDAM ALIVE
No U.S. official has said for certain if Saddam is alive, dead or injured. Bush said he was losing control of Iraq.
But Saddam wouldn't be the first to survive U.S. termination with extreme prejudice.
Osama bin laden apparently escaped the ferocious U.S.-led bombing of Afghanistan. In fact, the al Qaeda leader blamed for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, boasted about his survival on an audiotape.
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi survived a bomb dropped on his tent in the Libyan desert. Mohamed Farah Aideed eluded the CIA in Somalia. Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba escaped several CIA plots. Castro is still president of Cuba.
Bin Laden was personally targeted as long ago as 1998 when President Bill Clinton secretly authorized the CIA to use lethal force against him and his aides. After Sept. 11, 2001, Bush declared the Saudi-born exile wanted "dead or alive."
The United States has subsequently targeted individual al Qaeda operatives and in November used a Hellfire missile launched by a drone aircraft to kill one of the organization's leaders in Yemen. In Bush's words, "He's no longer a problem."
Washington has designated al Qaeda operatives "enemy combatants" under international law and says strikes against them are military actions rather than assassination attempts.
Bush ordered the pre-emptive strike on the top Iraqi leadership after the opportunity suddenly presented itself.
CIA Director George Tenet and Rumsfeld requested an urgent meeting with Bush on Wednesday afternoon when intelligence materialized about their whereabouts.
"They briefed the president and the war council on the updated information they had and the actionable items that were required," a senior administration official said. "The president at this stage has already signed off on a broad strategy and mission."
The war plan was quickly revised when Bush took one last look at the updated intelligence. "Let's go," he said.
Fleischer told reporters the executive order banning the U.S.-backed assassination of foreign leaders was still in effect.
In 1981, Reagan strengthened a policy laid down five years earlier by Ford, issuing Executive Order 12333 which states, "No person employed by or acting on behalf of the United States government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, assassination."
An executive order does not have the force of law and can be changed by the president at any time. Because they are sometimes classified, the public may not know when they are issued.
3-23-3
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Sunday that a good start to changing the government in Iraq would be to kill President Saddam Hussein. But the United States is not supposed to be in the assassination business.
CIA plots to eliminate Cuba's Fidel Castro with poisoned cigars, an infected diving suit and exploding clam shells proved so embarrassing that an executive order from President Gerald Ford, subsequently reinforced by Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, barred the United States from engaging in assassinations.
Rumsfeld, asked on the CBS program "Face the Nation" on Sunday if killing Saddam was a good start to changing the regime, replied: "That's true, it would be."
So why doesn't last week's direct attack on the Iraqi leadership with laser-guided missiles and bunker-busting bombs qualify as an assassination attempt?
"In military conflict, command and control are legitimate targets," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer explained. U.S. officials described the Iraqi leadership as "targets of opportunity." President Bush called them "targets of military importance."
U.S. government lawyers determined that the attack on the compound where Saddam -- and perhaps his sons Uday and Qusay -- were believed to be was legal since the United States was at war with Iraq and it was deemed a command-and-control facility.
"The head of the chain of command in time of war would be considered a legitimate military target," said Warren Bass, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. "It would be like trying to kill Tojo or Hitler in the middle of World War II."
UNCLEAR IF SADDAM ALIVE
No U.S. official has said for certain if Saddam is alive, dead or injured. Bush said he was losing control of Iraq.
But Saddam wouldn't be the first to survive U.S. termination with extreme prejudice.
Osama bin laden apparently escaped the ferocious U.S.-led bombing of Afghanistan. In fact, the al Qaeda leader blamed for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, boasted about his survival on an audiotape.
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi survived a bomb dropped on his tent in the Libyan desert. Mohamed Farah Aideed eluded the CIA in Somalia. Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba escaped several CIA plots. Castro is still president of Cuba.
Bin Laden was personally targeted as long ago as 1998 when President Bill Clinton secretly authorized the CIA to use lethal force against him and his aides. After Sept. 11, 2001, Bush declared the Saudi-born exile wanted "dead or alive."
The United States has subsequently targeted individual al Qaeda operatives and in November used a Hellfire missile launched by a drone aircraft to kill one of the organization's leaders in Yemen. In Bush's words, "He's no longer a problem."
Washington has designated al Qaeda operatives "enemy combatants" under international law and says strikes against them are military actions rather than assassination attempts.
Bush ordered the pre-emptive strike on the top Iraqi leadership after the opportunity suddenly presented itself.
CIA Director George Tenet and Rumsfeld requested an urgent meeting with Bush on Wednesday afternoon when intelligence materialized about their whereabouts.
"They briefed the president and the war council on the updated information they had and the actionable items that were required," a senior administration official said. "The president at this stage has already signed off on a broad strategy and mission."
The war plan was quickly revised when Bush took one last look at the updated intelligence. "Let's go," he said.
Fleischer told reporters the executive order banning the U.S.-backed assassination of foreign leaders was still in effect.
In 1981, Reagan strengthened a policy laid down five years earlier by Ford, issuing Executive Order 12333 which states, "No person employed by or acting on behalf of the United States government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, assassination."
An executive order does not have the force of law and can be changed by the president at any time. Because they are sometimes classified, the public may not know when they are issued.
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