Army General Says Baghdad Secure, Iraqi People Free
By Kathleen T. Rhem
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 7, 2003 – The Army general who led the
battle of Baghdad said today he is "not particularly
concerned about security" in the Iraqi capital.
Lt. Gen. William "Scott" Wallace said his troops
occasionally come under small-arms fire, deal with
"criminal elements" and witness sporadic celebratory fire.
"But, in general terms," he added, "the security situation
in Baghdad is improving every day." Wallace spoke to
reporters in the Pentagon via a satellite connection to
Baghdad.
The Army's 5th Corps commander, who deployed with his unit
from Germany, waxed poetic in his opening remarks. "The
warm, clear weather (in Baghdad) mirrors the improvements
we've made and continue to make on behalf of the people of
Iraq," he said. "Over 111,000 soldiers of the Victory Corps
fought valiantly to defeat the oppressive regime of Saddam
Hussein.
"They have freed the Iraqi people," he added. "They deserve
the praise of a grateful nation for their sacrifices."
In a broad-ranging press conference, Wallace espoused some
of his own theories of why Iraqi forces didn't use chemical
or biological weapons on advancing coalition forces.
One theory is that coalition troops "moved so fast" the
Iraqis couldn't get to their weapons. Wallace reminded
reporters that U.N inspectors left the country only days
before military fighting began. It's conceivable that the
Iraqis hid their weapons so effectively from the inspectors
that the weapons weren't easily accessible when coalition
military forces entered the country, he said.
"And secondly," he added, "I'd like to believe our
information operations campaign had an impact on those
commanders that might have the opportunity to pull the
trigger and they thought it was not such a good idea."
American forces blanketed Iraq with leaflets in the weeks
leading up to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Many of the leaflets
urged Iraqi forces to abandon their weapons and return to
their families. Others warned of dire consequences against
any Iraqi soldier who deployed biological or chemical
weapons. American broadcasts from the Commando Solo
aircraft filled the airways with similar warnings.
Wallace spoke with admiration about the "power of the
combined arms team." He recalled, with obvious amusement,
one incident in which American airpower decimated Iraqi
forces around Hillah as they tried to regroup after an
attack from U.S. Army soldiers.
"It was about 3, maybe 4, in the afternoon on a beautiful
sunlit day, …" he recalled. "At that point, the U.S. Air
Force had a heyday against those repositioning Iraqi
forces."
Wallace disputed a reporter's suggestion that U.S. forces
didn't have enough troops to control looting that broke out
after major military fighting ceased.
"I don't think it was as much an issue of the number of
troops as the fact that we were still fighting our ass off
as we went into Baghdad," he explained. "And our first
responsibility was to defeat the enemy forces, both
paramilitary and regular army."
He also said new information shows the Baghdad Museum
wasn't looted to the extent first believed. U.S. officials
now believe there are only between 17 and 38 artifacts
missing, he said.
"What doesn't get reported is the fact that we also secured
a significant museum that is located at the (Iraqi version
of the) Tomb of the Unknowns in downtown Baghdad," the
general added. "That was not looted at all by virtue of our
presence."
Wallace had received some criticism for comments he made
during the war that Iraqi forces are more formidable than
American commanders had expected. An article in today's
edition of the International Herald Tribune suggested
defense officials are replacing Wallace for his earlier
comments.
The general denied that theory today and congratulated the
man who has been named as his successor, Maj. Gen. Rick
Sanchez. After nearly two years in command, a 5th Corps
spokesman said in the article, Wallace is due for
reassignment. He remains unapologetic for the earlier
remarks.
The enemy that 5th Corps assets encountered in An Najaf,
Hillah, Samawah, Karbala and Nasiriyah "was much more
aggressive than we expected him to be, or at least than I
expected him to be," Wallace said today.
U.S. forces expected Iraqi troops to concentrate on
defending towns, when in practice they were "willing to
attack out of those towns toward our formations," he said.
The presence of foreign fighters with Saddam's Fedayeen
paramilitary force, which Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
called "Saddam's death squads," was also unexpected.
Wallace called the members of these death squads "at least
fanatical, if not suicidal."
Still, the general said, they were no match for American
military might. "Soldiers of the (3rd Infantry Division) and
the 101st and 82nd (airborne divisions) reacted very well in
adapting to those enemy tactics," he said. "And … 16 days
to Baghdad ain't a bad record."
Related Sites of Interest:
|