ABC News has released summaries of a series of documents from Saddam Hussein’s government, two of which should raise serious national security concerns.
Two Iraqi documents dated in March 2003 ? on the eve of the U.S.-led invasion ? and addressed to the secretary of Saddam Hussein, describe details of a U.S. plan for war. According to the documents, the plan was disclosed to the Iraqis by the Russian ambassador.
The first document (CMPC-2003-001950) is a handwritten account of a meeting with the Russian ambassador that details his description of the composition, size, location and type of U.S. military forces arrayed in the Gulf and Jordan. The document includes the exact numbers of tanks, armored vehicles, different types of aircraft, missiles, helicopters, aircraft carriers, and other forces, and also includes their exact locations. The ambassador also described the positions of two Special Forces units.
The second document (CMPC-2004-001117) is a typed account, signed by Deputy Foreign Minister Hammam Abdel Khaleq, that states that the Russian ambassador has told the Iraqis that the United States was planning to deploy its force into Iraq from Basra in the South and up the Euphrates, and would avoid entering major cities on the way to Baghdad, which is, in fact what happened. The documents also state “Americans are also planning on taking control of the oil fields in Kirkuk.” The information was obtained by the Russians from “sources at U.S. Central Command in Doha, Qatar,” according to the document.
Its possible, of course, that the Russians could have been lying to the Iraqis about having an inside source at Central Command, but the possibility that they might have actually had one is quite distressing. And, even if they didn’t the documents make clear that the Russians were actively aiding an enemy on the brink of war.
I will be interested to see what the rest of the media does with this story.
