Oil For Food. True Motives Surface

Air Marshal Burridge also confirmed that British military jets, including Tornado F4 and Harrier GR7 aircraft, had attacked a column of Iraqi armour which broke out of Basra on Wednesday on what appeared an armed recconnaissance mission.

British officials said only a "handful" of military vehicles were in the column, seriously modifying earlier BBC television reports suggesting Iraqi forces were launching an attack in a column of more than 100 vehicles.

The Air Marshal suggested, however, that Iraqi soldiers making the apparently suicidal probe had been "coerced" into manning their tanks and armour. He claimed he had "evidence" that members of pro-Saddam paramilitary groups in Basra had coerced the soldiers' families: "They hold a gun to the heads of their families, that's how they do it."
Tweet