U.S. Sees Hints of 'Unrest' in Iraqi Leadership
2 hours, 45 minutes ago
By Charles Aldinger
URL:http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=564&ncid=716&e=8&u=/nm/20030122/ts_nm/iraq_usa_unrest_dc
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence has picked up "indications about unrest" among Iraqi leaders faced with possible war with U.S.-led forces, the Pentagon (news - web sites)'s top general said on Wednesday, without offering any evidence.
Air Force Gen. Richard Myers also told reporters in an interview that the U.S. military would continue to send forces to the Gulf and was already prepared to launch into combat with Iraq if ordered to do so by President Bush (news - web sites).
Myers, chairman of the military Joint Chiefs of Staff, said there were hints some of Saddam's senior supporters might be cracking under the pressure from the United States and Britain for Iraq's president to step down.
"There are some indications about unrest in some of the Iraqi leadership. But just hints. We have not seen anything (about) purges" by Saddam, Myers said.
Declining to provide details or to say how Washington had obtained such hints of any unrest, the general said the United States had seen only small troop movements in Iraq but nothing unusual "and nothing to show that the military hierarchy isn't responding to orders."
British Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites), himself under pressure at home and in the international community to delay any attack on Iraq, said this week that the pressure on Baghdad was already having an effect on Saddam's government.
"They are rattled. They are weakening," he told the House of Commons.
France and Germany have joined forces to prevent war on Iraq, accused by Washington of hiding banned weapons of mass destruction. French President Jacques Chirac on Wednesday called war "the worst solution."
MEASURES TO ENFORCE LOYALTY
Myers said Saddam had taken steps to ensure support among military leaders.
"We know, I think, that the regime has taken measures to enforce loyalty ... extra measures by populating some of the major (military) units with people they consider loyal," he told reporters.
The Pentagon on Wednesday announced that the number of part-time U.S. military reserve and national guard troops called to duty had jumped by about 20,000 to a total of 78,906 in the past week.
Myers, speaking as the U.S. and British militaries continued to send tens of thousands of troops, warships and aircraft to the Gulf, cautioned against assuming that the United States would not launch an attack in Iraq's brutal summer heat beginning in late April or May.
"No. Weather is not a factor. We have talked about this a great deal," he said in response to questions.
He noted that such combat would be difficult, particularly if U.S. and British troops had to don restrictive suits for protection against potential biological or chemical attack.
"We have discussed this at great length with General (Tommy) Franks and the service chiefs and the combat commanders and there is no doubt that -- no matter what time of year -- we can fight and prevail," Myers said.
Franks is head of the U.S. military's Central Command and would preside over any war with Iraq.
"We will do better in that (summer desert) environment than any potential adversary. And part of that is enabled by the fact that we can fight at night," said Myers.
"We are as good at night as we are in the daytime. That is not true of most forces and it would give us a tremendous edge." |
