European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 29, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday january 29, 1991 the stars and stripes a a a Page 7 War in the . Reportedly targeting Saddam by Patrick j. Sloyan a a a. A a a a. News Day a. A a. Riyadh saudi Arabia a the death of iraqi president Saddam Hussein May be the Only Way around the looming land War that could Cost thousands of soldiers and civilians their lives . Military planners say. And despite Public statements to the contrary from president Bush and . Military personnel the United states has been planning to get rid of Saddam since shortly after iraqi forces invaded Kuwait on aug. 2. The United states first trained the Cross hairs of assassination on Saddam about one week after Iraq invaded Kuwait according to defense officials. Since then according to senior . Military officials Here and in Washington there have been at least two attempts on his life both Tomahawk cruise missiles and . Warplanes attacked Saddam a military command Bunker outside of Baghdad in the opening hours of be Sert storm according to . Military planners. An f-117 stealth fighter bomber pumped two laser guided 1,000-Pound bombs into a building used by the iraqi president before Dawn on Jan. 17. The planets attack on the building was on one of the videotapes made Public by the Pentagon. The following Day a cruise missile struck the Baghdad telecommunications ministry shortly after can reported that Saddam was planning to broadcast an and India allowed . Jets to refuel in route to Gulf new Delhi India up a prime minister Chandra Shekhar a government allowed . Military aircraft flying to the Mideast to land and use refuelling facilities in Bombay because of its Friendly relations with Washington the foreign ministry said monday. A foreign ministry spokesman made the statement in response to a report on the front Page of the times of India newspaper that 38 . Air Force c-141 transport planes shuttling Between the Philippines and the persian Gulf were allowed to land and refuel at Bombay a Sahar International Airport. The planes began using the Airport Jan. 14 and the refuelling stopovers were kept a secret the paper reported. It added that the aircraft usually departed immediately after refuelling. The official said the government granted permission because of Friendly bilateral relations with Washington and that the planes carried Only non lethal supplies. The assistance was apparently a major departure from indians past stand. As a co founder of the nonaligned movement India has opposed the United states on several International issues. A we have Long standing plans to eliminate Hussein a William Colby former Cia director dress to his battered nation from the building. . Military officials confirm the first two attacks but deny the ministry missile was meant for Saddam. In the Early hours of the initial attacks senior Pentagon planners had Hopes that Saddam would be killed or wounded. A we May have nailed the son of a Bitch a said an aide to Gen. Cohn l. Powell chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. That squared with statements made by air Force Gen. Mike Dugan w to w As fired As air Force chief of staff after telling reporters that his pilots would bomb Saddam his family and his mistress they apparently did not. But the War May have come close enough a number of reports last week suggested Saddam had sent his wife and family out of Iraq for safekeeping. The official statements issued by the White House and the Pentagon asserting that Saddam was merely an incidental part of otherwise., strategic targets have served two purposes for the Bush administration they effectively skirt the congressional ban against killing a head of state and they smother criticism of administration failures to eliminate Saddam. That failure Hasni to been overlooked by British military officials Here. A where is the f131, the Cia a All that business a said one British army colonel questioning efforts to eliminate the iraqi president. But the Cia has been on the Case. A we have Long standing plans to eliminate Hussein a said William Colby a former Cia director summoned to Langley va., for advice shortly after the invasion of Kuwait in s comment referred in part to the american intelligence Community a View that Saddam had so infused the Baghdad government with his megalomania that it would collapse with his timely passing. Western diplomats Here who have served in Baghdad say Saddam has Access to seven bunkers. To some Western diplomats Here israeli agents in Baghdad May offer the bust Chance. A they have the Best track record a a British Diplomat said. A if Saddam Dies this would end very getting a jump on the inn. And with the Marine to bundle of m sgt. Wiley Morrell of Bristol tenn., and with the Marine corps service support Center group jumps from bundle to bundle of mail arriving daily in saudi Arabia. The facility receives an average of 50 tons a knowledge of missing to Crew new York apr in no a Peter Arnett in Baghdad quoted iraqi officials As saying they weren to holding a missing lbs news Crew and did no to have any information about the whereabouts of its four members lbs meanwhile said sunday it had expanded efforts to find the Crew trussing for a week by a Surj and aggressively co ing officials in the or states and other c tries including Iraq. Correspondent Simon producer Peter Bluff cameraman Roberto Alvarez and sound Man Juan Caldera disappeared Jan 21 a while covering the persian Gulf War. They were travelling without military escort near occupied Kuwait Simon a we Are doing All we can to determine if indeed Bob Simon and his Crew Are in iraqi hands and if he is that he be brought to Baghdad and shipped Home a Arnett reported by Telephone in a broadcast sunday. A the iraqis Are saying they do not have him or they done to have any information about him at this Point a said Arnett who has been reporting from Baghdad since the War. Arnett reported that the director of iraqis information ministry told him they a have nothing in their intelligence sources and military and government sources about the presence of the lbs team in a saudi military patrol found the Crews abandoned car last week. Saudi officials said Friday that the Crew apparently had been heading into occupied Kuwait More than 350 Miles Southeast of Baghdad. Lbs spokesman Tom Goodman said the networks appeals for help in getting information about the missing new Smen w Cre made to . And saudi military officials. Appeals were also made to iraqi officials in Washington France Japan and Italy and at the United nations. The network also wrote to soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev and is seeking iraqi permission to let producer Larry Doyle go to Baghdad to seek information on the missing men Goodman said. He said can a has been very helpful in relaying lbs requests for information to iraqi officials in Baghdad. Simon 49, with lbs since 1967, has Long covered the Middle East he also covered the Vietnam War and fighting in Lebanon. Can said it is trying to get a five member Crew into Iraq to Back up Arnett and set up a video satellite link that would allow live to pictures from Baghdad. Iraq has Given can permission to enter the country with a portable to satellite transmission unit. Iraqis satellite to transmitter was knocked out during air raids shortly after the War began. Arnett has been Able to report live Only by satellite phone always subject to iraqi censorship. A a iraqi officials Are trying to get video footage filmed by government Crews out for broadcast. Correspondent Dennis Murphy reporting from Amman on sundays a in by nightly news a said the iraqi government a is hand delivering to jordanian to officials videotapes of what Iraq says is bomb damage in civilian areas. One shown As an example on the Abc broadcast a shows damaged buildings apparently residential neighbourhoods a said Murphy. It also shows a makeshift morgue with the bodies of perhaps 12 men women and children but a a there a no Way to Tell where and when it was taken a he said. Murphy reported that a note on the videotape Box said the pictures were taken in a town in Northern Iraq
