[A-List] US imperialism: Iraq

["Keaney Michael" <Michael.Keaney@xxxxxx>]

Warning over ground attack
IAN BRUCE
The Herald, 18 September 2002

ANY attempt to mount a copycat "Desert Storm Two" attack on Iraq with
massive ground forces is asking for disaster, Lieutenant General Buster
Glosson, the architect of the 1991 Gulf War air assault, said yesterday.

General Glosson said the "Roman Legion" approach of a months'-long
build-up of resources and units, and a multi-pronged land advance on
Baghdad from several directions, would undoubtedly work, but would
inevitably result in heavy military and civilian casualties.

Speaking in Washington, the retired air force strategist added: "My only
nightmare is seeing great numbers of our sons and daughters moving
prematurely from Basra to Mosul to Baghdad in concentrations within
lethal range of Saddam's Scud missiles tipped with chemical or
biological warheads." General Glosson said a new strategy taking
advantage of advances in precision-guided weaponry and the wider use of
special forces was needed "to sever Saddam Hussein from his security
force" and isolate his key strongpoints.

The entire regime could be toppled in 30 days with minimum losses on
both sides and among the civilian population if Pentagon planners
undermined Saddam's power base in Tikrit and hard-targeted the Iraqi
leader's Republican Guard divisions and intelligence apparatus.

Relentless air attacks could isolate the capital from the key cities of
Basra, Al Kut, Karbala, Mosul and Kirkuk while efforts were made to
persuade regular Iraqi army commanders that the time was right to rise
against the regime.

Deep penetration munitions would also be necessary to blast the network
of tunnels under Baghdad used by Saddam and his inner circle for
movement and the storage of vital communications and war material.

"If these steps can be followed and the US advantages in war-fighting
techniques and technology used to the full, military and civilian
casualties will be low," the general said.

He added: "The unscripted celebrations in the streets of Iraq will be
tremendous, finally permitting the Iraqi people the freedom to determine
their own destiny.

"The vital first step is not to present Saddam with fat targets. The key
is to create chaos inside his military machine with unrelenting air
attack and special forces' operations before any conventional ground
assault takes place.

"Exploiting internal dissent, especially in the Iraqi regular forces,
would also speed the collapse of Saddam's rule."