“The CIA coup plan went like this: if Unscom inspections could somehow be used to trigger a crisis, that would create a pretext for a US military attack against the Special Republican Guard, then Saddam’s personal security force could be decapitated. This would clear the way for the plotters, led by Mohammad Abdullah al-Shawani, a former commander of Iraqi Special Forces who had defected to Amman in Jordan and been recruited by the CIA, to make their move.”
The untold story (which remains hidden in the Australian media) is how our very own Richard Butler played a crucial role in compromising the ability of UNSCOM to carry out its UN mandated task and turned it into an intelligence gathering and policy instrument of the US administration. Have you ever heard a single Australian reporter ask Butler about Operation Rockingham?
(Thanks to reader Michael for this tip.)