Military action against Iraq would start with US-led bombing raids on President Saddam Hussein's palaces and other symbols of his regime, a British Sunday newspaper said.
In a bid to convince ordinary Iraqis that the war is not with them but with the Ba’ath regime itself, other initial targets would be Saddam's home town of Tikrit, key ministries, and homes and properties owned by Saddam's family and high-level officials, according to The Observer.
"The war will start with an extremely large bang. You can expect Saddam's home base of Tikrit to get a clobbering," an official told the British paper.
The goal of the first air raids would be to "deliver a message to ordinary Iraqis, including the majority of Iraq's armed forces, that we are not at war with them, but with the structures that keep Saddam Hussein in power," the official told the paper.
"The point of the exercise is to avoid fighting in Iraq's cities and persuade Iraqi forces very quickly that there is no point fighting to defend the regime," the official said.
Other targets would also include formations of Saddam's elite Republican Guard, the Special Republican Guard and police and intelligence services, the paper added. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
