U.S. Watching Troop Movements
W A S H I N G T O N, Sept. 22 -- Large-scale Iraqi troop movements have forced the United States into watch-and-wait mode as it monitors signs of a possible military showdown on the Persian Gulf.
ABCNEWS has learned U.S. intelligence agencies have been closely watching Iraqi military movements around the clock since early this week, when virtually the entire Iraqi army and its elite Republican Guard force left their barracks, army bases and airfields and dispersed throughout the country.
U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the current dispersal of Iraqi forces was solely “defensive”. They believe Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has ordered the movements because he believes the United States is about to attack Iraq.
The dispersal of Iraqi units began around Tuesday and now appears to be complete. Most of the movements have been in northern Iraq, but there have been a few dispersals to the south as well.
Armor, artillery and infantry units from regular Iraqi army forces were dispersed in addition to the Republican Guard..
Movements Have Been Defensive
So far, there have been several key indicators that the movements are purely defensive.
There are, for instance, no signs of transporters or rail cars that would be needed to move large tanks and armor to front-line positions, either to attack the Kurdish minorities in the north or to move toward Kuwait’s oil fields in the south.
U.S. officials tell ABCNEWS that the dispersed tanks, armored personnel carriers and artillery are deployed in patterns that do not appear to be steps toward assuming attack positions.
There are also no signs of significant amounts of fuel, munitions, food or water supplies being shipped to the dispersed areas in preparation for a military campaign. But many of the ground forces, as well as Iraqi air force fighters, have been placed in civilian areas, making it difficult for the United States and its allies to target them.
The dispersed aircraft include several MiG-21s, which the Iraqi air force has tried to keep from being destroyed by the United States.
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