Posted on 04/01/2003 8:26:27 PM PST by Diddley
American-led forces have captured more than half a dozen Iraqi generals and are questioning them about chemical weapons and tactical battle information, defense officials said Tuesday.
Although some are cooperating to some extent, none has given information that has led invading forces to hidden chemical weapons that the Bush administration says Iraq has, the officials said.
Meanwhile, a separate long-term campaign to win high-level military defections has had no visible success. The generals surrendered or were captured by U.S. or British forces, two Pentagon officials said on condition of anonymity. They were taken from locations around the country and hold ranks of one-star to four-star generals.
A general captured in the last 48 hours gave interrogators tactical information that will give coalition forces an advantage, Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said at the war's command center in the Persian Gulf emirate Qatar. He did not elaborate but said the invasion force is being helped by captured civilians as well as military leaders.
Help from local populations figured in several successful raids against paramilitary and Ba'ath Party leaders and helped the work of special operations forces, Brooks told a news conference Tuesday without elaborating. Help from captured military leaders has led to the discovery of ammunition caches and articles related to weapons of mass destruction such as biological-chemical protective suits, Brooks said.
The United States contends that Iraq has stores of chemical and biological weapons and possible materials for nuclear arms. Finding them and removing President Saddam Hussein were the main reason President Bush gave that war was necessary, although in recent weeks he has suggested that bringing democracy to Iraq could lead to a democratic revolution throughout the Middle East.
"At this point we have not found any weapons of mass destruction," Brooks said. "We'll continue looking for it very patiently."
Patience also was his answer when asked why months of psychological warfare had not won more defections among high-level Iraqi troops.
The Pentagon ran a huge and sometimes novel campaign of e-mails, radio broadcasts, leaflets and telephone calls to military commanders in hopes of winning over Saddam's military leaders.
Some Pentagon officials have said in recent days that they now believe Iraqis meeting with coalition officers to discuss surrender were just stringing along the negotiators. Just as Iraq's paramilitary has waved white flags in fake surrenders on the battlefield, higher-ups may also be engaging in a ruse, Defense Department officials said.
Asked Tuesday why there were so few defections, Brooks said: "Because the regime won't let them."
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(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Dismemberment of venal Iraqi Regime on track.
That they're telling us about...
Defections not occuring as hoped.
Nope. But we were prepared for that, too, and are kicking the crap outta guys who'd have done better to surrender. It's actually better this way -- better for us, and better for the people of Iraq.
. . . unless they're all dead.
A rash of crap from the media. Because they didn't defect.
God forgive me for that because it may ccause more US casualties in the short run but I think in the long term eleiminating the evil here and now is the way to go.
Yet.
Defections not occuring as hoped.
Hoped by who?
I reckon Tommy Franks doesn't hope one way or the other.
Yup.
I reckon you’re right.
Indeed. A Blood Ba'ath is definitely in order for the murderous thugs at the top of the Iraqi food chain.
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