Report: Russia gave Iraq info on U.S. war plan

Among the information the Iraqis said they received from the Russians:

• That the movement of U.S. troops into southern Iraq from Kuwait was a diversion. (In fact, it was the main avenue of attack, supported by special forces entering from Jordan and paratroopers flying into northern Iraq.)
• That the ground assault on Baghdad would not begin until the Army’s 4th Infantry Division was in place, around April 15. (In fact, the 4th Infantry, whose originally planned invasion route from Turkey was blocked by the Turkish government, was not yet on Iraqi territory when the Baghdad ground assault began April 7. Thus, by design or chance, the information from the Russians actually reinforced a U.S. military deception effort.)
• That the main focus of U.S. ground forces moving toward Baghdad from the southwest was the area around the city of Karbala. (This was true. After crossing a bridge over the Euphrates River outside of Karbala, the 3rd Infantry Division had a clear path to the Iraqi capital and Saddam’s chances of stopping the assault had ended.)
• That U.S. troops moving through southern Iraq would not attempt to occupy cities but instead bypass them. (This was true and was a central feature of an invasion plan that stressed speed and tactical surprise.)

Pentagon report's author surprised
The lead author of the Pentagon report, Kevin Woods, told reporters at a Pentagon briefing that he was surprised to learn that the Russians had passed intelligence to Saddam, and he said he had no reason to doubt the authenticity of the Iraqi documents.

“But I don’t have any other knowledge of that topic,” Woods added, referring to the Russian link.

In Moscow, a duty officer with Russia’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the report late Friday.

A Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Col. Barry Venable, referred inquiries seeking comment to Central Command. At Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Fla., officials did not immediately respond to a request.

Pavel Felgenhauer, a respected independent Moscow-based military analyst, said Friday that a Russian military intelligence intelligence unit, known by its abbreviation GRU, was actively working in Iraq at the time of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

The information about a Russian intelligence link to Baghdad was a small part of a much broader report by Joint Forces Command that attempts to explain the forces and motivations behind Iraqi military decision-making in the months leading up to the invasion and in the first several weeks after Baghdad fell in April.

The report paints a picture of an Iraqi regime that was largely blind to the threat it faced, hampered by Saddam’s inept military leadership, preoccupied by the prospect of a Shiite uprising, and deceived by its own propaganda.

“The largest contributing factor to the complete defeat of Iraq’s military forces was the continued interference by Saddam,” the report said.

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