Pentagon says Baghdad attack timed to minimize casualties

[CHARLES DOE]

WASHINGTON (UPI) -- The U.S. cruise missile attack on the Baghdad
headquarters of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's intelligence service was
precisely timed to minimize casualties, even of those within the target
complex, the Pentagon said Sunday.
The Director of Operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Lt.
Gen. Jack Sheehan, said the 1,000-pound missile warheads slammed into
their targets and detonated within a single five-minute period in the
dead of night.
``All the missiles, in sequence, were scheduled to arrive in Baghdad
between (2:00 a.m.) local Baghdad time, and (2:05 a.m.),'' he said,
``This time was specifically picked...to minimize casualties in terms of
the people who were operating in the area.''
The joint staff's Director of Intelligence, Rear Adm. Michael Cramer
said the main target was a specific building wing used by the leadership
of the Iraqi Intelligence Service, which President Clinton said
attempted to assassinate former President George Bush during his visit
to Kuwait last April. The attack was in retaliation for that attempt.
``There was near complete destruction of the wing where the director
and the leadership of the Iraqi Intelligence Service offices are
located,'' Cramer said,``There was very severe damage to the
administrative...auxiliary and support offices adjacent.''
``Overall,'' he said, ``we assess that the Iraqi Intelligence
Service, certainly at least in terms of its headquarters building, has
been dealt a debilitating blow.''
At least seven of the 23 missiles fired in the attack, and possibly
more, hit the ``leadership wing'' of Iraqi intelligence, Cramer said. An
exact count is impossible because some of the missiles exploded in the
same place.
At least four additional missiles hit other targets including
computer and communications centers.
Four more missiles missed their intended targets but still landed
within the walled and guarded Iraqi intelligence compound.
Three missiles, however, landed in residential areas outside the
target compound, the JCS intelligence director acknowledged. ``There was
regrettably some collateral damage,'' he said. Iraq has reported that
eight people were killed in the attack.
``I think it's fair to say,'' Cramer said, ``that like every major
intelligence facility, watch centers...are manned; security people are
there; cleaning people are there. The numbers, however, are minimum
during that period, and that's one of the reasons that it was selected.''
The retaliatory cruise missile attack was launched Saturday from the
guided missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville in the Persian Gulf and the
destroyer USS Peterson in the Red Sea.
Tomahawk cruise missiles, which have stubby wings and fly like an
airplane after launch, find their way to their target by comparing the
ground below to information stored on an onboard computer. It includes
the features of the target to be attacked.
Operations Director Sheehan said the missiles' speed was set to
ensure that they all arrived in the target area at almost exactly the
same time.
``The weapon system...has a lot of variables you can adjust, to
include time on target,'' he said, ``Its guidance package and motor
systems correct themselves so you can program a time of arrival. That's
how the systems were adjusted.''