-Caveat Lector- Thursday October 12 7:56 PM ET U.S. Watching Iraq Troop Movements Closely Reuters Photo WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary William Cohen said on Thursday the United States was watching current Iraqi troop movements but there were no signs of an immediate threat from President Saddam Hussein. Cohen told a news conference called over the attack on a U.S. gunship in Yemen that Iraqi troops had been identified moving in western Iraq, adding that this was also a training cycle for the Iraqi military. ``We are watching it very closely, because of the ambiguity of the situation, to make sure that Saddam is not using any training cycle in order to take advantage of any developments in the Middle East or elsewhere,'' Cohen said. ``But we have not seen any specific move that would indicate he intends to cause any major controversy.'' White House spokesman Jake Siewert said later that the United States would be prepared to act if Iraq threatens its neighbors or U.S. forces. ``As we all know, Saddam Hussein is capable of stooping to any level,'' Siewert told reporters. ``And he has demonstrated he'll try to capitalize on the violence in Israel and the territories to try to advance his own agenda.'' ``If he does intend something more menacing, we've made it very clear that if Iraq threatens its neighbors or U.S. forces,we maintain a credible force in the region, and are prepared to use it at a time and place of our own choosing.'' Earlier, U.S. defense officials, who asked not to be identified, said U.S. intelligence had detected the movement by the Hammurabi Division, composed of about 15,000 Special Republican Guard troops, within the past 24 hours. The Pentagon (news - web sites), worried that Iraq's President might make a disruptive strike against dissident Kurds in northern Iraq in advance of next month's U.S. presidential election, has repeatedly warned Saddam against taking such a step. Some fear Saddam might want to spring a so-called ``October surprise'' which heightens tensions in the Middle East and drives up the oil price in the crucial weeks ahead of the Nov.7 election. Defense Department officials have said in recent public briefings that the U.S. military has seen no major or threatening movement of Iraqi troops in the past month or so. In 1991 U.S.-led coalition forces drove Iraq from Kuwait after its invasion of the oil-rich state in 1990. Baghdad has been under U.N. sanctions ever since. ### We are all outlaws in the eyes of America.... We are forces of chaos and anarchy Everything they say we are we are And we are very Proud of ourselves -Jefferson Airplane, We Can Be Together <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
