The senior US military commander has said he does not know how long the war with Iraq will last but that it will end in victory for the allies. He claimed the endorsement by the Baghdad government of a suicide-bombing was typical of "a dying regime". Deaglán de Bréadún, reports from Doha
"One never knows how long the war will take. We don't know, but what we do know is that this coalition sees this regime gone at the end," Gen Tommy Franks told a news conference at the Qatar headquarters of US Central Command yesterday.
Reiterating allied claims that Operation Iraqi Freedom was going according to plan, he said: "Where we stand today is not only acceptable in my view, it is remarkable."
He denied reports that US forces had temporarily suspended operations near Baghdad. "There have been some pundits who have indicated we may be in an operational pause," he said. "This simply is not the case."
He said the decision to deploy another 120,000 US troops in addition to the 90,000 already in Iraq was taken well in advance of the start of hostilities and did not constitute a change of strategy. He dismissed claims that he was in conflict with the US Defence Secretary, Mr Donald Rumsfeld, about the timing of the invasion and number of troops involved.
"Those who would seek to find a wedge between the various leaders", he said, would not be able to do so. The plan's "chief characteristic" was flexibility. "It gives us the force to respond to what we see."
What he described as "bands of thugs" operating behind US lines were not a serious threat, he said, and there had been no request for reinforcements since the start of hostilities.
"What that may imply is that the plan you see is in fact the plan we have been on. I can simply assure you that that is the truth," he said.
"I've said on a number of occasions, I've used a code, I've said that this plan will be unlike any plan that anyone expects."
He said he was responsible for command decisions, including the timing of the invasion. Amid reports he had wanted to wait for more troops but was overruled by Mr Rumsfeld, Gen Franks revealed that he had ordered an immediate ground invasion to secure oil fields in the south.
"That decision was made by me, not influenced by anyone else ... We saw an opportunity to achieve one of our operational objectives, which was to prevent the destruction of a big chunk of the Iraqi people's wealth," he said.
Gen Franks said it was "remarkable" that the Iraqi regime would take credit for a suicide car-bomb which killed four of his troops. "It's not at all illogical that a dying regime would undertake such acts as suicide bombing," he said.
Outlining a list of military achievements, as he saw them, in the campaign so far, he said allied forces were in control of oil-wells that were vital to Iraq's future; had taken the port of Umm Qasr which was needed for conveying humanitarian assistance; had opened a "solid front" in the Kurdish-controlled north, and had advanced some 400 kilometres from the south since the conflict began.
He had no idea whether President Saddam Hussein was dead or alive, but he claimed the Iraqi military was not being controlled from the top.
"I don't know whether the leader of this regime is dead or alive," he said. "I have not seen credible evidence over the last period of days that this regime is being controlled from the top."
Asked about civilian casualties in Baghdad, he said: "This is an incredible, precise operation." The Iraqi people understood the care allied forces were taking and, "the people of Iraq will welcome their liberation, to be sure.
"The Air Force has worked 24 hours a day across every square foot of Iraq, and every day the regime loses more of its military capability," Gen Franks said.