U.S. official: Iraqi troops not eager to fight
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CNN's Kelly Wallace talks to Israeli pilots who are taking precautions for a Scud attack from Iraq, an attack most Israelis don't think will happen. (March 18)
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Intercepts of Iraqi military radio traffic indicate that some Iraqi troops do not feel driven to defend their country's regime. A well-placed U.S. official said Tuesday that those transmissions suggest a number of Iraqi military units "are not going to hold it together" during a U.S. military attack.
The radio communications suggest a great deal of "consternation" within some of the units -- including Republican Guard units, the official said on the condition of anonymity. Those units are considered to be the best trained, best equipped and most loyal to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
He cautioned that the intelligence does not mean Iraqi troops will not fight for Baghdad, the capital.
"I don't want to make it sound like it's going to be easy," the official said.
The belief is that the 48-hour deadline U.S. President George W. Bush gave to Hussein to leave Iraq or face military action created a good deal of pressure and elevated anxiety levels, the official said.
He also confirmed an earlier report that at least one Iraqi oil well in a southern oil field west of Basra was broken, gushing oil onto the ground. Iraqi soldiers are "definitely preparing (more wells) for sabotage" in the same area, he said.
The troops are removing safety valves used for automatic shutdown during accidents, he said.
CNN Pentagon Correspondents Chris Plante and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.
