New York Post August 11,2002
'Hit' parade begins here
Saddam's palaces top U.S. target list
By NILES LATHEM
Post Correspondent
 Republican Palace, Baghdad, Iraq |
The opulent presidential palaces with swimming pools and lush lawns, the ruling Baath Party headquarters and warehouses suspected of containing materials used in the production of Iraq's chemical and biological weapons have been photographed by commercial satellite company Digital Globe.
Even more detailed images are likely to have been captured by U.S. military spy satellites.
Military experts say the prominent buildings are likely to be the first razed in any missile attack on Iraq if the U.S. proceeds with a plan aimed at separating Saddam from his generals and putting the Butcher of Baghdad on the run.
The strategy, one of at least three the Pentagon is thought to be considering for a possible attack on Iraq, is an alternative to a mass invasion and ground combat in downtown Baghdad. Expert say that kind of battle would suit Saddam, who would rally his troops and countrymen to repel the invaders.
Instead, by bombing major Baghdad landmarks, and possible Saddam hiding spots, the belief is that the Iraqi president would be forced to head out of the city and would disappear form public view. With the symbols of his reign smashed and his presence uncertain, strategists say the regime could implode and Iraqi military units left in Baghdad might defect rather than fight if given the opportunity.
"Saddam can't operate like [nomadic] Osama bin Laden. He's the head of state. Once he disappears and people see his support structure fall, it really doesn't matter whether he's alive or dead," said Tim Brown of the defense think tank Globalsecurity.org, which has compiled an extensive analysis of satellite imagery on its Web site.
The strategy is different from Operation Desert Storm more than 10 years ago. Then, missiles and bombs were aimed at military and communications facilities in Baghdad.
Intelligence reports revealed Saddam spent most of the Gulf War hiding in the Tikirit region in the north, where he was born, alternating between heavily guarded bunkers and apartment of ordinary people that he commandeered, sources said.
He was not directly chased then, as he would be now, and was still able to present an image to his troops and countrymen of being in some kind of control.
Final decisions on when and how to attack Iraq have not been made by President Bush and his top national security advisers. But experts say optimal political and weather conditions point to a late winter or early spring deadline..
U.S. and coalition allies are intensifying preparations. Extensive equipment pre-positioning and expansion projects are underway at bases in Qatar, southern Kuwait and Turkey. Preliminary work also is being be done at an abandoned secret air base inside a Kurdish-controlled region, sources said.
Copyright 2002 The New York Post
