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04/04/2003
Fear and Terror Are Beginning to Evaporate in Iraq, Pentagon Says
U.S. Denies that Baghdad electric grid was targeted by coalition
Fear and terror are starting to evaporate in Iraq, Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke says, as the Saddam Hussein regime's strength ebbs. As evidence of this, she notes that more people are pointing coalition forces to the locations of both weapons caches and "death squad" headquarters.
The assistant secretary of defense for public affairs told reporters at the Pentagon April 4 that more and more Iraqi soldiers are surrendering to coalition forces or just packing up and going home as they realize they are fighting for "a lost cause."
Army Major General Stanley McChrystal, vice director of operations for the Joint Staff, said two of Iraq's Republic Guard divisions -- the Baghdad and the Medina -- have been essentially fragmented, and although the situation regarding the remaining four divisions is confused, it does appear that they have suffered significant attrition. The two divisions are not exhibiting cohesive fighting ability, he said, but he cautioned that they could reorganize for some sharp exchanges in the future.
While coalition forces are still sporadically engaging Iraqi forces on the grounds of the Baghdad International Airport and continue clearing some airport buildings, McChrystal predicted that they soon would extend their scope to "additional areas nearby."
Asked about April 4 Iraqi claims of planning an unconventional surprise for airport-based coalition forces, McChrystal pointed out that coalition partners proceeded with Operation Iraqi Freedom "expecting the unexpected" and anticipated every possible tactic, ranging from car bombings to the unleashing of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). "We've had to stay postured for sort of anything the regime is capable of using," he added.
Asked why Iraq has yet to use any WMD, McChrystal listed a series of possible factors, including the known effectiveness of Patriot anti-missile defenses and the protective gear each coalition soldier possesses. Another considerable deterrent is the message effectively communicated to Iraqi forces, he said, that if they use WMD they will be prosecuted as war criminals. Coalition forces have also been successful in suppressing or destroying Iraqi WMD launch capabilities, he said.
Asked why Iraqi television is still broadcasting, McChrystal noted that the Iraqi regime has traditionally used this medium as a primary mechanism to exert control over its population and for that reason the Iraqi government built a significant redundancy into the system.
Noting other developments, Clarke said a tremendous amount of food continues to flow to the Iraqi people, "including some straight from the United States." She showed photographs of wheat being loaded onto a ship in the port of Galveston, Texas. She said that ship will carry 28,000 tons of wheat, enough to produce almost a pound of flour "for every man, woman and child in Iraq." A similar amount was loaded aboard another ship bound for Iraq earlier in the week.
Clarke also said coalition forces continue to see evidence that the Iraqi military is placing its weapons "in and around schools, hospitals, mosques, homes, (and) embassies" in Baghdad in an effort to lure strikes sufficiently close to them to blame civilian deaths or injuries on coalition forces. However, she said, every target in Baghdad has been chosen "with great care" over the past two weeks and, when targets are struck, they are done so "with great precision and great care, to save as many lives as possible."
Asked about concern for the citizens of Baghdad, who are without electric power or free-flowing water, Clarke said, "We deliberately didn't target some things because we didn't want them to be without power, without water, those sorts of things." The coalition did not target the power grid, she said. "That was not us."
Speaking on Day 15 of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Clarke said the coalition effort remains focused "on ending the regime" and helping the Iraqi people "move toward self-government."
(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
