Clinton Oks Retribution Against Iraq Intelligence Reports Say Iraqi Troops Appear Headed For Kurdish Center

President Clinton has approved military and economic retribution against Saddam Hussein for the Iraqi army’s movements into Kurdish-controlled areas of Iraq, a U.S. official said Monday.

White House press secretary Mike McCurry told reporters in Milwaukee the United States has evidence that Saddam’s troops are moving deeper into Kurd-controlled areas. He said it appears Saddam’s objective is Sulaymaniyah, an administrative center for the Kurdish area.

There also is evidence that Iraqi troops are hunting down and killing political opponents in the areas they are seizing.

The official in Washington, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not provide a timetable for when - or whether - the presidential directive would be carried out.

With speculation growing in Washington about U.S. military movement against Iraq, the official said action “is very likely.”

The developments came as the White House accused Saddam of “unjustified behavior” in attacking the Kurdish safe haven in northern Iraq and warned ominously that such action will have consequences. The State Department advised Americans to leave Iraq immediately.

Clinton consulted allies and spoke with his national security team.

The White House said it sees no indication that Iraqi troops are pulling back from the original point of their attack, the Kurdish city of Irbil. Clinton had demanded a pullback.

After a speech in De Pere, Wis., Clinton ducked into a mobile trailer to confer with French President Jacques Chirac by telephone on U.S. plans involving Iraq, McCurry said. The president also talked with his chief of staff, Leon Panetta, and national security adviser Anthony Lake by telephone from Air Force One.

McCurry said the United States will seek cooperation from allies, “especially the government of Great Britain.”

“They’ve not calmed down,” a senior Pentagon official said late Monday night of Iraqi troops. “They’ve not quieted down at all.” The Pentagon official said the Iraqis have pulled some - but not all - troops out of Irbil. “Some remain in the city, some in the area,” he said.

The Iraqis continue to shell the town of Sham Shamal and appear to be preparing to attack it. They also appear to be continuing their move toward Sulaymaniyah, he said.

On arriving in Milwaukee, Clinton stayed on his airplane for about 30 minutes, talking again with Panetta and Lake, who were in Washington, about his conversations with other governments.

One aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the meetings are finished and decisions have been made.

Asked about the timing of any move against Saddam, the aide said, “Stay close to the president.” Clinton returned to the White House late Monday night after a weekend of campaigning.

Meanwhile, top U.S. officials made urgent visits to American allies in the Middle East to discuss a possible response.

Gen. John Shalikashvili, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, secured a pledge from Saudi Arabia to cooperate in any measures to punish Iraq for its weekend incursion, Saudi sources said Monday, a day after the meeting.

Shalikashvili held talks Monday with Jordan’s King Hussein, and the Jordanian government said it is concerned by the “deteriorating situation” in the Kurdish areas.

If Clinton chose military retaliation, there are numerous possibilities, including launching cruise missiles either from Navy ships or submarines or from Air Force B-52 long-range bombers, four of which are positioned on Guam. CNN and The New York Times reported that B-52s had taken off from Guam.

One aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, is in the Persian Gulf with a full complement of about 70 warplanes aboard; the carrier USS Enterprise is in the Mediterranean Sea. One possibility, officials said, was moving the Enterprise and her battle group into the Red Sea.