LONDON, Dec 3: The United States is planning to depose Iraqi President Saddam Hussein by giving armed support to Iraqi opposition forces across the country, according to the Observer newspaper.

President George Bush has ordered the CIA and his senior military commanders to draw up detailed plans for a military operation that could begin within months.

The plan, opposed by British premier Tony Blair and other EU leaders, threatens to blow apart the increasingly shaky international consensus behind the US-led “war on terrorism”.

It envisages a combined operation with US bombers targeting key military installations while US forces assist opposition groups in the north and south of the country in a stage-managed uprising. One version of the plan would have US forces fighting on the ground.

Despite US suspicions of Iraqi involvement in the Sept 11 attacks, the trigger for any attack, sources say, would be the anticipated refusal of Iraq to resubmit to inspections for weapons of mass destruction.

According to the sources, the planning is being undertaken under the auspices of a the US Central Command at McDill airforce base in Tampa, Florida, commanded by General Tommy Franks, who is leading the war against Afghanistan.—Dawn-Observer News Service