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Undercover force tackles arms flow to rogue states

By Charles Laurence and Jack Fairweather in New York and Kuwait
November 25 2002

United States special forces commandos have been ordered to launch covert operations against arms supply lines to terrorists and the three rogue states referred to by President George Bush as the "axis of evil".

Mr Bush has signed a classified executive order giving special forces unprecedented authority to combat and, if necessary, destroy arms suppliers who aid terrorism and attempt to develop weapons of mass destruction.

The Pentagon has confirmed that Mr Bush gave the order last month, shortly after the White House confronted North Korea with evidence that it was secretly buying nuclear technology.

His move followed a debate in the Administration over the wisdom of allowing military special forces to operate clandestinely in countries where the US is not openly at war, and where in some cases the local government may not even be aware of their presence.

This month the CIA used a remote-controlled Predator aircraft to launch a missile at suspected al-Qaeda members in Yemen, killing six. The US considers al-Qaeda members to be military targets, "combatants" under international law.

However, the United Nations charter forbids a nation to intervene in the internal affairs of a country with which it is not at war.

The new Pentagon-led operations will be directed at shipments to Iraq, Iran and North Korea, and at terrorist groups including al-Qaeda, wherever they are based. The targets include arms and any scientific equipment suspected of having a
"dual use" for the manufacture of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, the US has given its clearest indication to date it may consent to Iraq's President Saddam Hussein staying in power, if he agrees to give up its suspected arsenal of weapons of mass destruction.

The Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, told CNN that Iraq's verifiable disarmament without Saddam leaving office could represent a solution to the present stand-off.

He said Saddam might decide the game was up and that it was time for him to leave the country and go into exile with his family and friends.

"But it might be that he would change his mind and open his country up and say, 'Well, I'd rather stay in power; then I'm willing to give up my weapons of mass destruction'."

The Telegraph, London; AFP




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