Russian spy gave Saddam US secrets

Times Online ^ | 3/25/6 | Tim Reid

[Crackingham]

The Russian Government had a spy inside the US military command who passed information to Saddam Hussein on America’s war plan in the opening days of the invasion of Iraq, the Pentagon announced yesterday. The explosive revelation was based on Iraqi documents captured since the fall of the dictator and were set last night to trigger a major diplomatic incident between Washington and Moscow. The Russian spy, who was not named, passed detailed information on US troop movements through the Russian Ambassador in Baghdad, who sent the information to Saddam’s personal secretary.

The first document is a handwritten account of a meeting with the Ambassador in Baghdad, who in March 2003 was Vladimir Teterenko, that details his description of the composition, size, location and type of US military forces arrayed in the Gulf and Jordan. It includes the exact numbers and locations of tanks, armoured vehicles, aircraft, missiles, helicopters and other forces. The ambassador also described the positions of two Special Forces units.

The second document, dated March 25, 2003, five days after the invasion began, is a typed account, signed by Hammam Abdel Khaleq, the Deputy Foreign Minister, which states that the Russian Ambassador had told the Iraqis that the US was planning to deploy its force into Iraq from Basra in the South and up the Euphrates and would avoid entering major cities on the way to Baghdad — exactly what happened. The documents also state: “Americans are also planning on taking control of the oil fields in Kirkuk.”

Referring to the Russian mole inside US Central Command, the document adds that the information was obtained by the Russians from “sources at US Central Command in Doha, Qatar”.

The intelligence, the document states, was that American forces were moving to cut off Baghdad from the south, east and north, that US bombing would concentrate on Baghdad and that the assault on the Iraqi capital would not begin before about April 15. Baghdad fell about a week before that date. Army Brigadier General Anthony Cucolo, of US Joint Forces Command, said that he viewed the decision by Russia to give intelligence to Saddam’s Government as “driven by economic interests”.

[Paleo Conservative]

I seriously doubt the CIA or US military is surprised. It sounds like the Russians were still confused about the tactics the US would use in the invasion.

[ARealMothersSonForever]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1602660/posts
Related, and receiving very little notice from most media sources. Friday afternoon treatment.

[cripplecreek]

I don't know. There may have been a mole but it doesn't appear that Saddam believed him. Just recently there was a story about bridges not being blown up because Saddam planned to use them after our departure. (to punish the Shiites)

[justshutupandtakeit]

He didn't go after the oil fields either like in Kuwait.

[Shermy]

Were Russian military attaches admitted observers?

[Paleo Conservative]

Were Russian military attaches admitted observers?

I doubt it, but I'm sure the Russian reconnaissance satellite images were were a major source of the intelligence given to the Iraqis.

[RusIvan]

Guys it is Ramzaj did it. This new is 3-years old. http://www.google.ru/search?hl=en&q=ramzaj+Iraq&btnG=Google+Search

[Steel Wolf]

I doubt it, but I'm sure the Russian reconnaissance satellite images were were a major source of the intelligence given to the Iraqis.

I'd like to believe that, but it's more likely that there was a man on the inside passing information to the Russians. Nothing new about that. Still, it shows what we're up against. It's bad enough that the source passed the information, and that source, should we ever catch him, should be shot at dawn. Still, it's one thing to keep tabs on your rivals, but they were actively opposing us. That shows the depths of what we're up against.

[Steel Wolf]

It's just nothing but good news today.

[robowombat]

Very close. There is a great deal of 'information sharing' done by the US. The belief is that in cases such as this the enemy can make almost no use of any data provided and an accurate count of just how much the US is sending can have a demoralizing effect on enemy forces. In the 1990-1991 war Iraqi signal intel intercepted such extensive amounts of data that they had a consistently highly accurate OB picture of US forces and were able to predict with fair accuracy the US operational plan effected in the 100 hour war. The enemy could do nothing effective with this data because of Saddam's determination to hold forces in Kuwait, the immobility of the heavily Shia infantry divisions, and complete US control of the air.

[spanalot]

What does this gossipy blog have to do with the passing of secret info?

[A.A. Cunningham]

Not on the same scale as '91 thanks to the fact that the military took control of them early in the game preventing widespread damage but they did manage to torch seven wells.

[RusIvan]

What does this gossipy blog have to do with the passing of secret info?==

Probably same source of information. Read more on Google.

[Galveston Grl]

The Democrat Party Media lied, people died (including all the suicides they inspired on the left).

[justshutupandtakeit]

The military's work protecting these fields were nothing short of miraculous. Seven out of how many thousands of wells?

[M. Espinola]

When are Americans going to finally grasp, Russian, under Putin remains and sworn enemy of the United States and the free world.