28 March 2003
Rumsfeld Warns Syria, Iranian Badr Corps Not to Interfere in Iraq
(Says Iraqis should memorize names, faces of "death squad" members) (950) By Jacquelyn S. Porth Washington File Security Affairs Correspondent Washington -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld sent a warning March 28 to two of Iraq's neighbors -- Syria and Iran -- not to interfere in coalition efforts to topple Saddam Hussein's regime. He told reporters at the Pentagon that military supplies, including night vision equipment, are being sent into Iraq from Syria and "we would like it to stop" because any such assistance could result in the loss of lives and the prolongation of conflict. He also warned the Iranian-sponsored Badr Corps not to interfere with coalition military operations inside Iraq lest its members be considered "as combatants." "We have information that shipments of military supplies are crossing the border from Syria into Iraq, including night vision goggles," said Rumsfeld, who described the transfers as "trafficking." Such deliveries "pose a direct threat to the lives of coalition forces," he added. The United States considers this kind of trafficking to be "hostile acts," Rumsfeld said, "and will hold the government of Syria accountable for such shipments." The movement of military materiel and equipment between Syria and Iraq "vastly complicates our situation," he added. Asked more about the Badr Corps, Rumsfeld said there are reports of numbers in the hundreds operating in Iraq and more on the other side of the border. He described the corps as "the military wing of the Supreme Council on Islamic Revolution in Iraq" and said it is "trained, equipped and directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard." As yet, he said, the corps has not done anything that would be perceived by the coalition as hostile. But "the entrance into Iraq by military forces, intelligence personnel or proxies not under the direct operational control of [U.S. Central Command Commander] General [Tommy] Franks will be taken as a potential threat to coalition forces," he said. Rumsfeld said the coalition would hold the Iranian government responsible for the corps' actions, and armed Badr corps members found in Iraq "will have to be treated as combatants." Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Richard Myers also provided an operational update on "Operation Iraqi Freedom" on day eight of the conflict. Myers said the regime of Saddam Hussein "has lost control" now over some 35 to 40 percent of Iraqi territory with coalition forces exercising air supremacy over 95 percent of the country. Coalition aircraft are now "flying freely over Baghdad," he added, while ground forces stand on the outskirts of the capital. Myers showed several video clips -- one of which showed a precise, surgical strike that took out a satellite dish in the parking lot of the Iraqi Ministry of Information in Baghdad. The ministry building stood intact after the dish was obliterated. He said some 5,000 precision-guided munitions have been used in the first week of military action. Rumsfeld made a plea to the people of Iraq to remember the names and faces of any "death squad" members -- thought to number anywhere between 5,000 to 25,000 -- who are abusing them during this period of transition. "We will need your testimony" in the future when those individuals are prosecuted, he said. In the post-conflict phase, those who terrorize local populations by holding sidewalk executions, for example, will be "held accountable," the secretary said. Asked about attacks on U.S. military supply lines, Myers said any Iraqi attacks on American lines of communications have been so far militarily insignificant. He also continued to say that tough fighting is likely "yet ahead of us." He said the Iraqi leadership will be brought down "as quickly as possible" but that does not necessarily mean "quick." On the subject of U.S. military casualties, Rumsfeld pledged that no U.S. government official will underreport the numbers. If soldiers are killed, wounded, or reported missing, he said, those numbers will be released. But Myers warned that there is often some "lag time" in collecting and releasing those figures. Asked about the mood of the Iraqi civilian population, Rumsfeld said he expects the mood of individuals to reflect across the full spectrum of opinion. He said it's still "a little premature" to try to gauge it, but he expected it would vary city by city. With guns to the heads of many, the secretary said, it is not surprising that the behavior of many people "is one of caution." Opinion polling is not a possibility in a country at war, the secretary said, but coalition contacts have a limited amount of contact with people in different parts Iraq. As sections of the country are liberated, Rumsfeld said it will become clear how the general population feels about coalition efforts to help them. On the subject of humanitarian aid, the secretary reiterated that there are no accurate reports or intelligence to suggest that a humanitarian crisis is happening in Iraq. Iraqis who are within American areas of responsibility "presumably are okay," he said. Prior to the conflict, Rumsfeld said there were estimates that the Iraqis had two to six weeks of pre-distributed food, diminishing the likelihood that they would run out of rations. Now the British ship Sir Galahad is in port in Umm Qasr offloading several hundred tons of food for distribution, Rumsfeld said. And Myers said the World Food Organization indicated that the oil-for-food distribution program is southern Iraq "is still partially intact." He said that food program isn't expected to run out of supplies until the end of April, by which time other distribution sources are expected to be under way. (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
