Does this not read as our excuse for using chemical weapons?
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/archive/20-3-19103-0-39-29.html
Saddam to hit own people in chemical atrocities
Propaganda campaign will put the blame on coalition troops, writes DEBORAH SUMMERS and BILLY BRIGGS
SADDAM Hussein is planning to use chemical weapons against his own people and blame the atrocities on coalition troops, British defence sources claimed yesterday.

It is also believed the Iraqi dictator has obtained US army uniforms on the black market to stage illegal civilian attacks.

The source said Saddam was expected to wage a sinister campaign of propaganda to try to convince the world Britain and America were responsible for carrying out war crimes against the Iraqi population.

Defence sources claim to have seen evidence that Saddam was planning to use chemical weapons on his own population, such as the Kurds in the north or the Shias in the south, and around the suburbs of Baghdad.

"There is evidence that collectively suggests that is an option and is one of the things being planned," one source said.

"There will undoubtedly be an emphasis on civilian casualties and claims of chemical attacks. That may be reinforced by Saddam's own actions."

The sources acknowledged it was a "big step" to move from planning such measures to actually carrying them out. It is also feared Saddam could poison water supplies to kill his own people before he is driven from power.

It is thought another technique the Iraqis may try is setting alight oil-filled trenches surrounding the main cities and then trying to blame the resulting smoke pall on British and US bombing.

They may also try to claim that old war damage dating back to previous conflicts - particularly around the southern city of Basra - is the result of fresh coalition attacks.

Yesterday, there were also reports that chemical warheads had been deployed to Iraqi forward units, and it emerged that Ali Hassan al-Majid, Saddam's first cousin also known as Chemical Ali, is commanding the southern sector facing US and British troops in Kuwait.

Al-Majid is also referred to as the butcher of the Kurds for ordering chemical attacks during the genocidal Anfal campaign in northern Iraq in 1987 and 1988.

Specialised American teams in mobile laboratories will begin searching Iraq for weapons of mass destruction.

The Pentagon has deployed new tactical units, called mobile exploitation teams, to find and survey at least 600 sites in Iraq that are considered most likely to be hiding prohibited weapons.

In addition, US officials said the military was making plans to locate and interview hundreds of Iraqi scientists who worked on germ, chemical and nuclear-related projects to seek their help in disarming Iraq.

The British sources said they believed the Iraqi propaganda campaign would be aimed at influencing nations like France, Russia, and China, which are seen as the "easier ones" by Saddam.

The Iraqi leader was said to be a regular viewer of CNN and the Arabic al-Jazeera satellite station, and to understand what "played well" both in the Arab world and the wider international community.

At the same time, the sources stressed that British and US forces would adhere strictly to the international Law of Armed Combat (LOAC) in selecting targets for aerial attack.

Under that law, attacks on civilian targets, or attacks which cannot discriminate between civilian and military targets - such as carpet bombing - are outlawed.

It does permit attacks on military targets which could result in "incidental" civilian casualties.

In such circumstances, the principle of proportionality must apply and the "expected harm" must not be "excessive" when set against the military advantage anticipated from the attack.

The sources said specialist "targeteers" would look at such situations to determine the best method of attack to minimise or avoid civilian casualties.

Military or civilian advisers would be available at every stage of the command process to help assess whether a particular attack was legal.

The law also contains provisions for the protection of cultural, historic and religious sites as well as imposing restrictions on attacks on targets which are essential to the survival of the population, such as water sources and foodstuffs.

The sources said that British and US operations would have to take account of the LOAC, even if the Iraqis broke international law by using human shields to protect targets or hiding military materials in religious buildings such as mosques.

"I would say the argument would have to very strong that there was a military advantage to attack equipment that was hidden in a mosque," one source said.