US was aware of imminent ‘soft target’ strike
The US military held intelligence that terrorists were poised to strike a “soft target” in Baghdad five days before Wednesday’s huge truck bombing of the UN’s Iraqi headquarters, it has been reported.
The suicide bomb atrocity claimed 15 lives, among them Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN’s envoy to Iraq and High Commissioner for Human Rights and a British woman named as Fiona Watson.
100 people were injured in the blast when the bomb detonated in front of the three-storey building on Tuesday afternoon.
Ahmed Chalabi, the leader of the Iraqi National Congress claimed that the Iraqi Governing Council had warned American officials of an imminent attack last Thursday.
“The information said that the attack would be aimed at a soft-target, not the American military or forces.
“The information said the attack would use a truck and would be carried out by using a suicide mechanism or by remote control. We shared this information with the Americans.”
Dr Chalabi speculated that the perpetrators were “remnants of Saddam’s regime, the Muhabarat officers (secret police) and the Fedayeen,” aided and abetted by fellow travellers from the fundamentalist terrorist groups Ansar al Islam and Al Qaeda.
Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, speaking in Stockholm last night, downplayed speculation that the UN had declined an offer of extra security from the US-led troops.
“I don’t know if the UN did turn down an offer for protection, but if it did, it was not correct and it shouldn’t have been allowed to turn it down.”
He added that the UN would not be intimidated by the latest terror attack and would “persevere” with its work in Iraq.
Tony Blair said the act stemmed from “pure cowardice.”
Speaking from Barbados, Mr Blair said: “I am shocked and saddened.
“The perpetrators of the atrocity have demonstrated pure cowardice and are enemies not only of the UN and the Coalition but also of the Iraqi people. We will not allow terrorists to weaken our resolve in bringing about a better Iraq.”
Ahmad Fawzi, the UN’s Special Representative to Iraq, vowed to continue the UN’s work. “We will not be deterred. We do have a responsibility to help stabilise Iraq. The stability of Iraq is in the interests, not just of the Iraqis, but of the entire region and of the international community of the entire world.”
US Civil Administrator to Iraq Paul Bremer said Iraq was “clearly one of the battlefields” in the war on terrorism.
“We are up against the war on terrorism here in Iraq now, a war that we have seen in many cities- New York and Washington and Saudi Arabia.
“This is a war America is clearly committed to winning since 9/11 and we will win it, but clearly one of the battlefields now is Iraq.”
