Iraq Country Handbook - Europe Link

DESERT FOX against key WMD and military targets in Iraq. Washington
and London conducted these airstrikes to punish Baghdad for its
obstructionism and to induce Iraq to cooperate fully with UNSCOM.
Operation DESERT FOX proved to be a costly campaign for Saddam
Hussein. The airstrikes heavily damaged a number of military and suspected
WMD production facilities. However, the airstrikes did not cause
Saddam Hussein to renew cooperation with the UN. Instead, the Iraqi
regime portrayed itself as the victim and claimed in the U.S. press that
UNSCOM inspectors had turned over information to U.S. intelligence
agencies, and asked the UN to remove American and British personnel
from the UN missions in Iraq. Since Operation DESERT FOX, no UN
weapons inspectors have entered Iraq, and Baghdad has been able to
restart its weapons programs without UN preventative measures.
In February 1999, the Iraqi regime was faced with a crisis following the
assassination of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammed Sadiq al Sadr, a
Shi’a spiritual leader, and his two sons in southern Iraq. Various antiregime
groups blamed Saddam Hussein for these murders, and a number
of reports surfaced indicating that significant internal unrest
occurred as Shi’a in Baghdad and in southern Iraq conducted 3 days of
protests against Saddam’s tactics. The regime responded by ruthlessly
suppressing the protests and killing a large number of protestors. Discontent
continued through 1999, but Saddam Hussein eventually
strengthened his hold on power through effective security operations.
In December 1999, the UN attempted to restart its inspection effort in
Iraq. On 17 December, the UN Security Council passed a resolution creating
the UN Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission
(UNMOVIC) to replace UNSCOM. Iraq, however, rejected this resolution
and announced its refusal to cooperate with further inspections.
Despite this, UN appointed Hans Blix, former head of IAEA inspections
in Iraq, to lead UNMOVIC. Blix formulated a plan and assembled a
team to conduct inspections, but Baghdad’s intransigence forestalled his
efforts. Even though the UN’s weapons monitoring efforts were
thwarted by Iraq, the IAEA conducted an inspection of Iraq’s nuclear
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