November 22, 2009
UTNE READER

U.S. Will Attack Iraq in February, Russian Military Source Reports

January 2003
Craig Cox Utne.com 
Article Tools
Print
Comments
RSS
Bookmark and Share

Russian military officials have obtained information indicating that the United States and its allies have already decided to launch an attack in Iraq in mid-February, reports the Reuters news agency.

RELATED CONTENT

?According to the information we have, the operation is planned for the second half of February. The decision to launch it has been taken but not yet been made public,? said a high-ranking source in the Russian general staff. The attack would be launched, he said, as soon as the Pentagon was able to amass a force of 150,000 in the area.

The primary target of the military action, according to this source, was not Saddam Hussein but Iraq?s oil fields. ?Hussein is the pretext. The real aim of the military action is control over Iraqi oil,? he said.

He did not indicate whether the information had been obtained through Russian intelligence agencies or through White House sources in Washington, though the news agency noted that the Bush administration ?would be keen to avoid any misunderstandings with Moscow if it does launch a war.?

The military operation would involve air, land, and sea strikes, he said, and would last no longer than a month.

The White House has been lobbying key allies on the United Nations Security Council in recent weeks in order to build support for the military action, but President Bush has said repeatedly that he has not yet made the decision to attack.

Related links:

Bookmark and Share
RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print

Comments

Add Your Comment

We’d like to know what you think. To comment, please use this form. E-mail addresses are never displayed on comments, but they are required to confirm your comments. First time registrants: You will receive an email confirming your email address. Once you confirm, your comment will be posted. Questions about our comments policy? Click here.

Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.

New to Utne Reader?
Sign up to share comments.
Asterisks(*) indicate required fields.
Name*
Your name appears next to your comment.

E-mail Address*
This will be your login ID.

City State Zip Code

Password*


Confirm Password*

Comments
1500 character limit (Offensive materials and/or spam will be removed, no HTML allowed)
Please Note: Your sign-up must be verified via e-mail before your comment is published.
FEATURED ARTICLES
MOST POPULAR


Pay Now & Save $6!
First Name: *
 Last Name: *
Address: *
 City: *
State/Province: *
 Zip/Postal Code:*
Country:
 Email:*
(* indicates a required item)
Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds.
Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Want to gain a fresh perspective? Read stories that matter? Feel optimistic about the future? It's all here! Utne Reader offers provocative writing from diverse perspectives, insightful analysis of art and media, down-to-earth news and in-depth coverage of eye-opening issues that affect your life.

Save Even More Money By Paying NOW!

Pay now with a credit card and take advantage of our Earth-Friendly automatic renewal savings plan. You save an additional $6 and get 6 issues of Utne Reader for only $29.95 (USA only).

Or Bill Me Later and pay just $36 for 6 issues of Utne Reader!