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23 March 2003

Myers Says Coalition Forces Continue to Advance North

(Captured documents may relate to weapons of mass destruction) (390)
By Howard Cincotta
Washington File Special Correspondent
Washington -- U.S. and coalition forces are making significant
military progress in Iraq, according the General Richard Myers,
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Myers spoke March 23 on ABC's
This Week with George Stephanopoulos and Fox News Sunday with Tony
Snow.
Coalition forces are securing the port of Umm Qasr to bring in
humanitarian aid, Myers said. They have "significantly degraded" the
regime's command and control, and are conducting a rapid advance
toward Baghdad, led by the U.S. Third Infantry Division.
Although pockets of resistance remain in the south, Myers said on Fox
News Sunday, U.S. forces are generally in control around Basra.
Although some Iraqi soldiers have put on civilian clothes and tried to
attack coalition forces, Myers explained, "In fact, they paid the
price for that kind of trickery."
Despite such difficulties, and as soon as the waterways are cleared of
mines, he said, "We intend to bring in ships with humanitarian
supplies very, very quickly."
Myers said on ABC's This Week that, although coalition forces have not
yet discovered stocks of chemical or biological weapons, "We are in
the middle of exploiting some documentation that we found out in
western Iraq after a firefight by our Special Forces last night. They
found a huge arms cache. Millions of rounds of ammunition and some
documentation that needs to be exploited."
As coalition forces move into central Iraq and approach Baghdad, Myers
said, he would anticipate that individuals would be more willing to
come forward and identify the locations for such weapons of mass
destruction.
On Fox News Sunday Myers said that contacts were continuing at the
local level with Republican Guards and other military units to
encourage them to surrender. However, Myers warned that the regime
appears to be putting its most loyal followers into other units to
threaten any who try to retreat or surrender.
Nevertheless, Myers said on ABC's This Week, ultimate outcome is not
in question. "We will topple the regime. We will secure the weapons of
mass destruction. We will rid the Iraqi land of safe haven for
terrorists. And it will be a better place in the region and the world
because of it."
(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)