21 March 2003
Rumsfeld Says Iraqi Regime "Is Starting to Lose Control"
(Says coalition forces pushing closer to Baghdad) (890) By Jacquelyn S. Porth Washington File Security Affairs Writer Washington -- After "a careful measured beginning" to "Operation Iraqi Freedom," the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein "is starting to lose control" as both the air and ground elements of the coalition military operation are now fully under way, says Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Rumsfeld told reporters at the Pentagon March 21 that coalition forces have taken control of the southern Iraqi port city of Umm Qasr as well as an ever-growing portion of the country. But the military objective of the campaign is not conquest, the secretary emphasized. Instead, he said the purpose is to liberate the Iraqi people from a regime that has been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, eliminate Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and defend U.S. interests. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers, who also briefed reporters, said "We are moving toward our objective." Rumsfeld said coalition ground forces are pushing toward the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. The big push began when the 3rd Infantry rolled into southern Iraq on March 20, he said. Rumsfeld said the full force of the air campaign began as several hundred Iraqi military targets were scheduled for attack. Myers said coalition aircraft have flown 1,000 sorties so far. The final outcome of a carefully orchestrated effort "is not in doubt," he said. The air campaign, which began in earnest on March 21, followed what Myers described as "a quick strike on a leadership target" in Baghdad on the first night of the operation on March 19. Bomb damage assessment following that strike indicates that it was successful; however, what remains unclear is who was actually inside the residence at the time it was attacked. What is clear, according to Rumsfeld, is that it is "too late" for Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his two sons to remain in power. Rumsfeld said the ongoing air campaign is being very carefully calibrated. The weapons being used embody a degree of precision that "no one ever dreamt of" in the past, he said. For that reason, he said it is impossible to compare this air war with any others. The care which is being taken to match appropriate-sized and very precise weapons against selected targets is impressive, he said. All of this is part of a "humane" effort that seeks to minimize the loss of innocent lives, Rumsfeld said, by taking into account, for example, what time of day will have the fewest civilians near a military target. Myers said the operation is not just about air strikes, however, but about diminishing Iraq's military capability over time. Rumsfeld provided a long list of objectives for the operation including searching, capturing and driving out any terrorists who may have sought safe haven in Iraq and collecting intelligence about terrorist networks. He also talked about the importance of helping the Iraqi people establish a new government and to insure the territorial integrity of Iraq's borders. Even as some oil well fires burned in Iraq after being set by Iraqi forces, Rumsfeld said coalition forces were moving in to secure the oil fields and extinguish the fires so that this resource could be turned over to the Iraqi people to whom it belongs. It is "the Iraqi peoples' oil," he said. Rumsfeld said some 10 oil wells have been damaged, several are on fire, and some are pouring oil out onto the ground. He said the desire is to fix these soon. So far, the secretary said, coalition forces "have control over a non-trivial fraction of oil wells." Rumsfeld expressed gratitude for coalition support in all aspects of the military campaign. He cited Poland, Australia and the United Kingdom for providing troop support, but noted that a total of 45 nations have publicly associated themselves with the effort in one way or another. Myers provided an operational update on the full range of military actions throughout the first two days of the campaign. Some of the highlights included boarding three Iraqi tug boats off the southern coast of Iraq that were loaded with around 130 mines as well as uniforms. There have been cruise missile strikes against special Iraqi security organizations, he said, and additional strikes against intelligence forces and Republican Guard units. He reported sporadic resistance in some areas as well as limited tank battles. Rumsfeld said "a few hundred" Iraqi forces have surrendered so far. He suggested the level of confusion within Iraq's military structure is growing as communications links are compromised. He also predicted that more officers close to Saddam Hussein would likely look for ways to save themselves as time goes on. There has been some contact with some specific Iraqi military units in various locations, mostly outside Baghdad, according to the secretary. Rumsfeld said this campaign is the first in which it is possible to monitor action 24 hours a day via radio, television and Internet broadcasts. Press coverage has been facilitated with the Defense Department and coalition forces "embedding" large numbers of American and international reporters with military units throughout the theater of operations. But he pointed out that in each report from these reporters viewers around the world are seeing only "slices of war," not the totality. (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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