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| Iraq |
| Iraqi troops reported on the move |
| 2003-02-27 |
| A unit of the elite Iraqi Republican Guard was on the move Thursday in northern Iraq, signaling the first major repositioning of Iraqi military forces during the current U.S. military buildup, according to U.S. officials. Uh, it's not the first, but please continue. U.S. intelligence indicated the unit will be positioned in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's ancestral homeland, but it also could be en route to Baghdad to defend the capital. This unit is believed to be possibly one of two Republican Guard infantry divisions in northern Iraq. If it is the Special Republican Guard, then I believe that many if not most of the members also are from Tikrit and are Sammy's clan members. Digging in to defend their hometown and Sammys solid base of support makes some sense. The United States has been tracking the troop movement for several days. Earlier this week, imagery indicated more than 100 heavy transporters had left their parking areas and were headed to pick up equipment for this unit. Tank transporters? Moving armor then. And I'm sure that we are watching every movement with great interest. Hope there is not too much cloud cover. If the division repositions to Baghdad, it could be another indication that Saddam may try to draw U.S. troops into a battle in the city, sources said. This also might indicate that Tikrit is where Saddam plans to go to ground while his son runs the war from a alternate location. I believe that Saddam has gone here in the past when he feels threatened. If the Special Republican Guard does indeed dig in around Tikrit instead of a more vital location like Baghdad, I'd give it some "special attention". |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #3 Tikrit is probably the only place where Saddam won't be attacked once the war starts... by his own people. In Baghdad the Shiites might get him before the Americans do. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2003-02-27 16:31:30 |
| #2 From Reuters: Troops and equipment from an Iraqi Republican Guard division have begun moving south toward Baghdad from their base near Mosul in northern Iraq, U.S. defense officials said on Thursday."It started in the last couple of days and they are in the process of moving now," one of the officials, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters. "It is a heavy Republican Guard division," said another official, "but we don't know how much is being moved or why." Defense analysts estimate that six such divisions, depleted after the 1991 Gulf War, now include up to 8,000 troops each. Heavy divisions include tanks and artillery to support their ground troops, but it was not clear whether the division in question was classed as an armored or an infantry unit. The officials stressed that the units being moved were not part of Saddam's Special Republican Guard, an elite force of up to 15,000 troops. Most of them are stationed near Baghdad and are the backbone of a protective cordon for Iraq's president.The U.S. officials did not make clear how military intelligence had discovered the Iraqi movement, but said that large numbers of trucks had been seen moving troops south. The United States uses intelligence satellites, unmanned spy planes and other aircraft to watch over Iraq. "We don't know whether the units being moved will continue south to Baghdad or will go to Tikrit. They could stop somewhere in between," said one official. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-02-27 12:24:10 |
| #1 IIUC, the SRG was already in Bagdad. The unit near Mosul was regular Republican Guard, who are nto allowed into Bagdad. Clearly they're in danger in the open, and Mosul with a largely Kurdish/Turkmen population is not ideal place for urban warfare. Where else is Saddam going to put them. Looks like a plan for pulling troops into the Sunni Arab heartland, and into cities, but not to make a stand in any one city. Of course Bagdad is the only city big enough to present a potential nightmare. OTOH he has been nervous about bringing any troops other than SRG into Bagdad. This indicates he is still not ready to take the leap and bring RG's into Bagdad. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-02-27 10:48:03 |