On the eve of a planned impeachment vote in the House, President Clinton Wednesday unleashed a series of “strong, sustained” cruise missile and bomber attacks on Iraq by American and British forces aimed at crippling Saddam Hussein’s capacity for building weapons of mass destruction and forcing him to comply with United Nations orders to disarm.
Anti-aircraft batteries in Baghdad fired thousands of rounds into the night skies over the capital as explosions, followed by orange flashes and huge clouds of smoke, rocked the city all night. Each wave of missile attacks sparked a new response from anti-aircraft batteries stationed on the rooftops of buildings downtown.
The assault, code named Operation Desert Fox by the Pentagon, came after months of false starts and broken promises from Baghdad on the question of weapons inspections. It was precipitated by a report to the United Nations that charged, despite his earlier pledge of cooperation, that Hussein was circumventing UN sanctions and throwing obstacles in the way of weapons inspections at almost every turn.
In a televised address to the nation, Clinton said he had run out of patience. He noted that he had called off airstrikes a month ago at the last minute–even as U.S. bombers were airborne–when it appeared the Iraqi leader had finally yielded to demands that he allow access to suspected weapons production facilities and armament construction records.
“Instead of the inspectors disarming Saddam, Saddam has disarmed the inspectors. . . . The international community gave Saddam one last chance to resume cooperation with the weapons inspectors. Saddam has failed to seize the chance,” Clinton said.
He ordered Wednesday’s attack, he said, because he wanted to take advantage of the element of surprise and because he wanted to avoid offending the rest of the Muslim world by mounting a military action during the holy month of Ramadan, which begins this weekend.
Although the White House moved quickly to dispel speculation that Clinton launched the attack to blunt the push for impeachment, the president’s critics were quick to challenge the move. The House had planned to debate four impeachment counts Thursday stemming from Clinton’s intimate relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
In a rare breach of the traditional unity displayed when U.S. troops are in battle, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) announced he could not support the decision.
Clinton, Lott said, had “squandered too many opportunities in Iraq. I will support serious and sustained action but will oppose action that does not accomplish our larger, strategic goal. The American people, as well as the people of Iraq and the region, deserve nothing less.”
Incoming House Speaker Bob Livingston (R-La.) moved quickly to announce the House would postpone the impeachment debate in the wake of the attack. The House might return to the subject as soon as the military action ends.
Livingston issued a strong endorsement for U.S. troops, saying the objectives were proper and added that questions about timing are a matter for the public to decide.
Other House members reacted more harshly.
“It is despicable for a man who ran from military service to now use soldiers as a shield from impeachment,” said Rep. Ron Paul, (R-Texas).
“Never underestimate a desperate president,” said House Rules Committee Chairman Rep. Gerald Soloman (R-N.Y.). “This time he means business. What option is left for getting impeachment off the front page and maybe even postponed? And how else to explain the sudden appearance of a backbone that has been invisible until now?”
“I certainly hope that the president is not using our armed forces as his political toy,” said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.). “We have very serious concerns with Iraq and the situation has not really changed substantially in the past two years. . . . Past behavior makes me doubt the president’s word.”
Clinton had his defenders, too, almost all of them Democrats.
“It had to happen and it had to happen quickly,” said Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.).
“We can’t subvert our nation’s military interests to the convenience of the majority party. The president was entirely justified in taking these obviously long-planned steps,” said Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.).
In London, British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced he had approved the use of British forces in the attack. He provided no details, but said “all other avenues” have been exhausted.
“There is no realistic alternative to military force. We are taking military action with real regret but also with real determination,” Blair said.
In Baghdad, Hussein said that several targets had been hit and urged the Iraqi people to “fight the enemies of God, enemies of the nation, enemies of humanity.” He said the attackers were afraid “to come to meet you face to face” and “depended on a long technological arm, which is not a measure of bravery.”
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There was mixed reaction around the world.
Germany and Canada offered quick support, but China and Russia condemned the move. At the request of the Russians, the UN Security Council met into the night. While blaming Baghdad for the events that led to the attack, France dissociated itself from the airstrikes and said they could have grave consequences.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said he did everything he could to seek peace. “This is a sad day for the United Nations, and for the world,” he said. “It is also a very sad day for me personally. Throughout this year I have done everything in my power to ensure peaceful compliance with Security Council resolutions, and so to avert the use of force. I deeply regret that today, these efforts have proved insufficient.”
Obviously sensitive to his critics, Clinton explained in detail in his national television address why he had ordered the attack at this moment.
He said Hussein had used weapons of mass destruction before and would use them again if he were given the chance to develop nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.
“Saddam Hussein and the other enemies of peace may have thought that the serious (impeachment) debate currently before the House of Representatives would distract Americans or weaken our resolve to face him down,” Clinton said.
“But once more, the United States has proven that although we are never eager to use force, when we must act in America’s vital interests, we will do so. . . . In the new century, we’ll have a remarkable opportunity to shape a future more peaceful than the past, but only if we stand strong against the enemies of peace.”
The president also warned the nation that the sustained, heavy attack would not come without Iraqi civilian casualties. He noted that the Iraqi leader has put civilians in harm’s way before. “We must be prepared for these realities,” Clinton said.
The attack, planned for weeks, was sparked by the withdrawal of UN weapons inspectors from Iraq.
Richard Butler, head of the UN Special Commission on Iraq, the agency that conducts the UN’s weapons inspections, reported Tuesday that Hussein had frustrated almost all efforts at compliance with a collection of disarmament orders. Those orders were included in the cease-fire after Iraq’s defeat in Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
Referring to Butler’s report, Clinton said “the conclusions are stark, sobering and profoundly disturbing. In four out of five categories set forth, Iraq has failed to cooperate. Indeed, it actually has placed new restrictions on the inspectors.”
At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary William Cohen and Army Gen. Henry Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the initial strikes included B-52 bombers, raids by Air Force and Navy attack fighters and assaults by British Tornado jets.
American and British air forces, and planes from the aircraft carrier Enterprise in the Persian Gulf, participated in the attack, which began just before 1 a.m. Baghdad time and included air- and sea-launched cruise missiles along with more conventional bombers. The U.S. has been building up its forces in the region for weeks.
Cohen said that nearly 60 additional Air Force and Marine jet fighters, including Stealth attack jets, and three units of Patriot air defense missiles were headed to the gulf. He said the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and 60 Navy attack jets would join the Enterprise on Friday, a move that will bring U.S. air power to more than 300 planes.
“We intend to continue the mission until such time that our objectives are carried out,” Cohen said.
Shelton said the attack wasn’t easy, but added “we are up to it.” He avoided any discussion of specific targets and said damage estimates will be delivered in due time.
Satellite-guided cruise missiles are at the heart of the attack, according to the Pentagon.
Witnesses said they heard thunderous explosions all around Baghdad beginning at 12:49 a.m. Baghdad time. Working under strong censorship conditions, CNN reporters at the Iraqi Ministry of Information televised pictures of huge explosions downtown, with the crackling and banging of anti-aircraft fire providing the backdrop.
While American officials resisted questions about how long the attack will last, a Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman said his government had been told the American plan was for a four-day assault, which would carry the attack into the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins this weekend.
But there were signs that the administration could be bracing for a longer confrontation with Hussein, perhaps an open-ended effort using airstrikes aimed at whittling away what is left of his military power.
The attack leaves in serious doubt whether the UN’s arms inspectors will be returning to Iraq. If not, that presents a whole new set of challenges.
In his address to the nation, Clinton made it clear that the United States plans to use whatever force it must to contain Hussein even as it works to replace him. He said the best way to end the Iraqi threat is to end Hussein’s role as leader and promised to “strengthen our engagement with the full range of Iraqi opposition forces.”
“In halting our airstrikes in November, I gave Saddam a chance, not a license,” Clinton said. “If we turn our backs on his defiance, the credibility of U.S. power as a check against Saddam will be destroyed.”