U.S. has list of Iraqi elite, officials say
From David Ensor
CNN Washington Bureau
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CNN's David Ensor reports CIA officials have compiled a list of key Iraqis they believe could be convinced to turn against the Iraqi leader (February 26)
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. intelligence officials have compiled a list of 2,000 members of the Iraqi elite for U.S. forces to use in the event of war with Iraq, CNN has learned.
The list includes Iraqi officials suspected of war crimes as well as those who might be willing to turn against President Saddam Hussein, U.S. officials said. It also includes Iraqi scientists who could help lead U.S. forces to any chemical, biological or nuclear weapons hidden in the country.
A computer database divides the list of the Iraqi elite into several categories, U.S. officials said.
"You would expect us to be doing this, and of course we are," a U.S. official said.
In another intelligence matter, U.S. officials said they are concerned about the possibility of Iraqi-inspired terrorism against American targets. However, one official said there is "no specific evidence" of any plans.
The CIA recently hired a group of academic experts to estimate statistically the chance of Iraqi-led terrorism. Officials said the group found a 59 percent chance of Iraqi-led terrorism against U.S. targets in the event of a war, with an 85 percent chance of acts by a third-party group such as al Qaeda.
One official called the estimate "out of the box" work and said it does not represent the official view of the CIA.
U.S. officials have said they are tracking a number of known Iraqi agents in the United States. During the Persian Gulf War, a number of attack plots around the world by Iraqi agents were said to have been thwarted.
