Iraqi opposition leaders warn US and Britain not to invade

Iraqi exiles expected to participate in a future government of their country warned yesterday that an invasion by American and British troops would bring widespread destruction without removing Saddam Hussein.

Opposition leaders stressed that a large-scale offensive by Washington and its allies would not be supported by opponents of the Baghdad regime, either inside or outside Iraq.

In response to repeated reports of the Bush administration preparing for war, with a 250,000-strong force, a number of prominent Iraqi defectors insisted that more focused, specialist strikes would have far more chance of success.

In London, where more than 300 opposition military and political leaders are taking part in the first conference of its kind, delegates said large-scale Western attacks on Iraq were unnecessary because most Iraqi forces would turn against President Saddam at the outbreak of hostilities.

A former major-general, Najib al-Salhi, said: "The United States will not find support inside or outside Iraq for an offensive that would harm civilians, destroy infrastructure, and target troops not defending the regime.

"Any campaign must be limited to toppling Saddam. The army will not defend him and neither will the Republican Guard [elite troops thought to be loyal to the Iraqi leader]."

In Kuwait, a former Iraqi intelligence chief also warned Washington that a land war could leave a desperate Iraqi regime with no option but to use weapons of mass destruction. Wafiq al-Samarrai said: "The US should know that Saddam will not hesitate to use weapons of mass destruction on American military groupings. Diplomacy is the only choice for the United States."

Mr Samarrai, who is close to Ahmad Chalabi, the leader of the exiled Iraqi National Congress – seen by some in Washington as a possible post-Saddam leader – added: "If that fails then another option is an intelligence operation that targets the regime only.

"Efforts must focus on core issues to topple the Iraqi regime by choosing the best, quickest, and least costly method for the Iraqi people and regional states ... carrying out a swift intelligence operation."

The opposition leaders are also concerned that the US and Britain may incite Iraqis to rise against President Saddam and then fail to help, as happened at the end of the Gulf War.

Another former major-general, Tawfiq al-Yassiri, who led an uprising in southern Iraq at that time, and was wounded when Iraqi forces crushed the rebels, is among senior officers counselling caution to compatriots inside Iraq. They point out that it was the US President's father, George Bush Snr, who abandoned the rebels, and that some members of his administration were back in power in Washington.

The appearance at the conference of Prince Hassan of Jordan, an uncle of King Abdullah, increased speculation over the likelihood of war. Leaked Pentagon reports have stated that Jordan has agreed to become one of the bases for a US attack. This, however, has been denied by the king.