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US special forces, CIA agents working in Iraq for invasion

Saddam accuses Washington of plotting to occupy Gulf

REUTERS, Boston
US Special Forces and CIA agents have been working inside Iraq for months to lay the groundwork for a possible US invasion, The Boston Globe reported on Sunday.
The Globe, citing intelligence officials and military analysts who claim first-hand knowledge of the operations, said the American teams are searching for Scud missile launchers, monitoring oil fields, marking minefield sites and helping US pilots bomb Iraqi airdefence systems.
Yesterday, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein charged that the United States was plotting to "occupy" the oil-rich Gulf region.
"Behind this uproar and selfdefeating pandemonium, the enemy is pursuing several objectives and Iraq is not the only target. The objective is to fully and effectively occupy the Arab Gulf in order to achieve several goals," Saddam said a televised speech marking Iraq's Armed Forces Day.
The Iraqi leader also accused UN arms inspectors of engaging in spying.
"Instead of searching for so-called weapons of mass destruction in order to expose the lies of the liars, the inspection teams have been compiling lists of Iraqi scientists, asking questions with undeclared purposes, and inquiring about army camps and non- prohibited armament.
"All this, or at least most of it, is sheer intelligence activity."
Meanwhile in New Delhi, a visiting top US official yesterday said the US has not taken any decision to attack Iraq.
Richard Haass, director of policy planning for the US State Department, said the United States was "working with the Iraqis to persuade them to cooperate," and denied plans to attack were set in stone.
The Globe, citing intelligence officials and military analysts who claim first-hand knowledge of the operations, said the American teams are searching for Scud missile launchers, monitoring oil fields, marking minefield sites and helping US pilots bomb Iraqi airdefence systems.
The report said Jordanian, British and Australian commandos have on occasion joined the Americans.
The Globe's report, which puts the number of US Special Forces members and CIA officers at roughly 150, comes just weeks before UN arms inspectors are to submit the results of their search for any weapons of mass destruction that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has allegedly been hiding.
Some Special Forces members have been following suspicious movements around suspected
weapons sites in Iraq. That information, the Globe said, could be turned over to the inspectors.
Other Americans are said to be trying to identify potential leaders in Iraq to work with the Bush administration in case of an invasion. Similar tactics were used in Afghanistan with the Northern Alliance before the war there.
The Globe said US military and CIA officials declined to make official comment on these activities.
Many of the strikes on radar sites have been directed by men on the ground using lasers.
Meanwhile, the US military has put at least 275 Army Reserve units - involving more than 10,000 soldiers - on alert to be ready to move overseas as early as this week in preparation for a possible war with Iraq, USA Today reported yesterday.
Citing Defence Department sources, the newspaper said unit commanders were ordered to be ready to move out between January 10 and February 15 and that Reserves in this latest call-up would likely be sent to the Persian Gulf region, joining thousands of other US forces.
Lieutenant General James Helmly, commander of Army Reserve Forces, told the paper the new orders affect more than 10,000 troops, including several thousand other Reserves alerted Friday for duty in the United States.