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Politics : Foreign Policy Discussion Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Machaon who wrote (3493)	2/6/2003 8:57:20 PM
From: lorne	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 15987

Iraq withdraws troops from border Saddam reportedly thinks soldiers would be unable to withstand attack February 6, 2003 Iraq has withdrawn tens of thousands of troops and hundreds of tanks, armored personnel carriers and artillery from the Iraqi border with Jordan and Kuwait, according to Western intelligence sources, reports Geostrategy-Direct, the online intelligence newsletter. The sources said the regime of President Saddam Hussein appears to have concluded that Iraqi troops would not be able to withstand any U.S. attack. The withdrawal has taken place over the last two months as Baghdad assessed that war with the United States was approaching. Saddam sent a large force to the Jordanian border last year in what the sources termed a show of force to Washington and its Arab allies. But the Saddam regime has redeployed its forces around Baghdad and oil facilities, the sources said. The area of western Iraq is now being defended by Bedouin tribes, who have received more than 5 million rifles, the sources added. According to Iraqi opposition sources, the regime has reinforced its position around Kirkuk. The city is the center of the oil-rich northern region and borders the Kurdish autonomous zone. The Iraqi effort includes the deployment of additional troops and tanks around the city. Kirkuk is expected to be a prime target in any U.S.-led invasion of northern Iraq. Last week, British defense sources reported that Saddam ordered trucks equipped with missile launchers to western Iraq. worldnetdaily.com