World Tribune.com

U.S. determines Iraq troop movements pose no threat

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Thursday, October 26, 2000

WASHINGTON — The United States is playing down the presence of thousands of Iraqi troops near the Jordanian border.

U.S. defense officials said the Pentagon has concluded that the Republican Guard division is part of Iraq's annual exercise and does not threaten either Jordan or Israel. The officials said the Iraqi troops do not have air support or vital equipment required for an offensive.

Moreover, the officials said, the division remains a considerable distance from the Jordanian border.

"There's still a lot of Iraq to the west of where the forces are located," Pentagon spokesman Craig Quigley said. "So we very much think that it is training-related, as part of their annual training cycle."

Earlier, Israeli and Western intelligence reported that around 20,000 troops were moving toward the border with Jordan and Syria, according to Middle East Newsline. They said the Republican Guard division was part of a force located tens of kilometers from Jordan and about 100 kilometers from Syria.

The sources agreed that the Iraqi movement does not pose an immediate threat to Israel. They said the force has up to 250 tanks but lacks aircraft.

The United States has relayed a warning to President Saddam Hussein against launching an offensive against his neighbors. Israel has also urged the European Union to do the same.

Quigley said the Pentagon assessment is based on monitoring the Iraqi troop movement for the last three weeks.

Thursday, October 26, 2000


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