The Associated Press
Oct 12 2000
 

WASHINGTON (AP) - Iraqi troops have been spotted moving west and north from the
Baghdad area, but the movements do not appear to signal preparation for an attack, a
Pentagon official said Thursday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the purpose of the troop movements
was unclear.

``It's a matter of interest but not alarm,'' the official said. ``This does not look like
preparation for any kind of attack.''

The troop movements, first reported by CNN, follow a period of heightened activity by the
Iraqi military. The size of the force moving west and north of Baghdad was estimated at
between a few thousand and several thousand.

The Pentagon announced in mid-September that it was stepping up air reconnaissance
around Iraq.

Late summer and early fall have sometimes been periods of heightened tension with Iraq.
President Saddam Hussein sent the Iraqi army into Kuwait in August 1990. In October 1994
forces of the Iraqi Republican Guard moved to within a few miles of Kuwait, which
prompted a rush deployment of U.S. forces to the area.

In August 1996, Iraq sent troops into Kurdish regions in northern Iraq and overran the town
of Irbil. In September U.S. forces launched cruise missiles on air defense targets in other
parts of Iraq.
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The Kurdistan Observer
www.kurdistanobserver.com

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