WASHINGTON – Russia collected information about U.S. troop movements and battle plans at the outset of the Iraq invasion by tapping sources inside the American military, and the intelligence was passed to Saddam Hussein in Baghdad, according to Iraqi documents cited in a Pentagon report released Friday.
The report does not assess the value or accuracy of the information Hussein got or offer details on Russia’s information pipeline. It cites captured Iraqi documents that say the Russians had “sources inside the American Central Command” and that intelligence was passed to Hussein through the Russian ambassador in Baghdad.
A classified version of the report, titled “Iraqi Perspectives Project,” is not being made public. It was assembled by U.S. Joint Forces Command, which reviewed a vast array of captured Iraqi documents and interviewed Iraqi political and military leaders, not including Hussein.
Among the information the Iraqis said they received from the Russians, some of which proved inaccurate, was:
* That the movement of U.S. troops into southern Iraq from Kuwait was a diversion. In fact it was the main avenue of attack, supported by special forces entering from Jordan and paratroopers flying into northern Iraq.
* That the ground assault on Baghdad would not begin until the Army’s 4th Infantry Division was in place, around April 15. In fact, the 4th Infantry, whose originally planned invasion route from Turkey was blocked by the Turkish government, was not yet on Iraqi territory when the Baghdad ground assault began April 7. Thus, by design or chance, the information from the Russians actually reinforced a U.S. military deception effort.
* That the main focus of U.S. ground forces moving toward Baghdad from the southwest was the area around the city of Karbala. (This was true. After crossing a bridge over the Euphrates River outside of Karbala, the 3rd Infantry Division had a clear path to the Iraqi capital and Hussein’s chances of stopping the assault had ended.)
* That U.S. troops moving through southern Iraq would not attempt to occupy cities but instead bypass them. (This was true and was a central feature of an invasion plan that stressed speed and tactical surprise.)
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