06 April 2003
Saddam's Forces Continue to Risk Iraqi Civilians, U.S. General Says
(CENTCOM briefing April 6) (880) Saddam's military continues to deliberately put Iraqi citizens in harm's way, says Brigadier General Vincent Brooks, deputy director of operations of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). At an April 6 briefing in Doha, Qatar, Brooks said that as coalition forces are more freely able to operate around or within Baghdad, "we see indications that the regime continues to put civilian and civilian areas at increasing risk." He showed reporters satellite photographs of Iraqi military equipment, hidden in the shadows but still visible, that was placed within inches of residential buildings. Brooks said this ploy "is another example of how the regime is more than willing to put its population into harm's way to protect itself, and its weapons, and its capabilities of continuing to inflict oppression on the population." The general emphasized that coalition forces "will continue to discriminate in our targeting. We will continue to be selective and seek precision in all we do. But it is clear at this point that the risk is increasing to the civilian population because of decisions made by regime leaders." Citing a recent U.S. attack on a suspicious civilian vehicle attempting to run through a checkpoint, Brooks said: "Our soldiers and marines out there, and especially our junior leaders, are having to make very, very difficult but instantaneous life and death decisions, and they're the only ones who can make those decisions. They're doing it very well, and they're also doing the best they can to protect the force as well as the Iraqi population." Brooks said that coalition forces are conducting non-stop radio broadcasting over all of Iraq to give instructions to the Iraqi people on how to protect themselves. "First, we're telling the Iraqi people for their own safety to stay away from Baghdad International Airport," he said. "We're also explaining the importance of carefully following checkpoint instructions as they approach them." "We explain to the Iraqis the types of atrocities and criminal acts that the regime is responsible for. And we're also telling the Iraqi forces that remain, specifically the Special Republican Guard and special security forces, that they should surrender, flee, or fight and face certain destruction," Brooks said. Coalition forces, he said, are focused on attacking regime leadership targets, military forces, command centers, communications nodes, and all located aircraft "to break the military capacity of the regime." He added: "At this point, the coalition can operate throughout all of the airspace of Iraq." "Our special operations forces represent a very broad capability and can be introduced into any area by a variety of means," Brooks said. "We will continue to attack the regime and its military capacity whenever and wherever we find it." Coalition special operations forces, he noted, are conducting "unconventional warfare and doing more and more work with Iraqis who do not support the regime." In Basra, Samawa, Najaf, and Karbala coalition encounters with regime forces "have gone down appreciably while the support from the population is increasing." There is continued resistance in and around Baghdad from Republican Guard forces, regular army forces and some paramilitaries, Brooks reported. Nonetheless, coalition forces "have inflicted a considerable degree of destruction, and many of those units cease to exist as effective combat formations." There are still parts of the Republican Guard command operating in the north, Brooks said, although few have attempted to move into Baghdad. These forces represent only "small packets that usually conduct counter attacks," he said. "We have not seen any examples of organized combat action." When asked about Iraqi casualties, Brooks said coalition figures are based on estimates on "the number of (weapons) systems that we had involved and the type of engagements that occurred." At present, Iraqi casualties are estimated to be somewhere around 2,000, but he added: "We are not out there trying to count up bodies. This is not the appropriate way for us to go." In areas that have been liberated, "the good news is life is proceeding into a new state of normal," Brooks said. For example, in An-Najaf children are now safely returning to school for the first time since hostilities began. Coalition civil affairs units are traveling behind coalition combat formations and working to meet the humanitarian needs of Iraqi civilians, the general said. "Their efforts are making a major difference in the lives of newly liberated Iraqis," Brooks said. "In some locations, our soldiers are facilitating the delivery of supplies, and that includes things that are already on hand in storage warehouses but weren't delivered by the regime...." According to Brooks, free Iraqis are playing an important role in coalition humanitarian and civic work. "They continue to help us communicate and earn a high degree of trust. The teams also coordinate delivery of humanitarian assistance rations and the massive volumes of wheat and grain that are starting to flow in from all over the world," he said. He noted that massive international assistance is expected to enter Iraq in the next several weeks, facilitated by free ports that have been secured by coalition operations. (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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