NY Post 4-9-03
ELITE INFANTRY TICKETED TO TARGET TYRANT'S TOWN
By LEONARD GREENE and MARSHA KRANES
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April 9, 2003 -- The elite 4th Infantry Division, newly arrived in the Gulf, is preparing for a major offensive against Tikrit - birthplace of Saddam Hussein and the place he'd likely go to seek refuge if he's alive.
The assault, slated for this week, will be led by the high-tech advance forces of the firepower-packed division, which is in Kuwait gearing up for the attack, according to military sources.
Saddam, his two sons and many of his top aides were reported to be in the Tigris River city by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, one of two main Iraqi Kurdish groups opposing the dictator. The party's newspaper said they moved to Tikrit after fighting intensified in Baghdad.
So eager is the 4th Infantry to suit up that the attack could begin before all equipment is off-loaded from ships in Kuwait.
"We're looking at a combat-ready force in days, not weeks," said division commander Major General Raymond Odierno.
So far, the division's tanks, fighting vehicles and artillery and aviation equipment have been taken off 36 ships in port.
Even if Saddam is dead, Tikrit is a key U.S. military objective because it's where any survivors of his family and regime would likely regroup.
Saddam's most loyal subjects live there - or were recruited from there to serve him.
There are anti-aircraft batteries on rooftops throughout the city, which is home to a huge army garrison and air base.
Saddam also built an underground complex just north of Tikrit, where weapons of mass destruction are stored, according to a former bodyguard.
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