Word: saddamism
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Some 40,000 of Saddam Hussein's best-trained and most loyal soldiers took up positions late last week 12 miles south of the city of Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan and the center of a conflict between rival Kurd factions. And then, despite warnings from Washington, Saddam's forces rolled north toward Erbil. After heavy artillery pounded the city, the Iraqis quickly took control on Saturday. The Iraqi offensive was Saddam's boldest move since the end of the Gulf War five years ago, and set the stage for a new test of wills between Washington and Baghdad...
...northern section of Iraq has been off limits to Saddam's forces since shortly after the end of the Persian Gulf War. That was when the U.S. and its allies established an enclave where the 4 million Kurds would be protected from Saddam. The Kurds rebelled against Baghdad at the end of the war, hoping the moment was ripe for them to set up an independent country. Iraqi forces were on their way to crushing the rebellion when the Western powers drew a line just south of Erbil and told Saddam not to cross...
After losing several strategic areas, Massoud Barzani, the head of the K.D.P., turned to Saddam. As one Western diplomat put it, "The K.D.P. said they were on the verge of being wiped out by the P.U.K. with Iran's help. The Americans weren't coming in and stopping the fighting, so they turned to Iraq...
Clinton's national security advisers first learned of the Iraqi buildup from spy-satellite photos. Washington immediately sent a blunt message to Iraqi officials at the U.N., saying it would be a "serious mistake" to move against the Kurds, but Saddam Hussein did not heed the warning. On Friday night Tariq Aziz, Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister, announced that a "limited military operation" had been undertaken in response to an appeal from the K.D.P. State Department officials confirmed that in some parts of the city, K.D.P. soldiers fought alongside Iraqi forces, and K.D.P. radio broadcasts also told people to turn...
...first attack failed to destroy. The second strike, said White House spokesman Mike McCurry was "necessary to ensure the safety of aircraft and crews operating in the expanded no-fly zone." U.S, British and French air forces began patrolling the expanded zone midday Wednesday Iraqi time, unfazed by Saddam Hussein's clearly stated intention to shoot them down. Should he try, U.S. forces have made equally clear that another round of attacks may be launched. So far, no Iraqi planes have taken up the challenge. The United States launched the missile attacks after Iraqi forces went into action last weekend...