Saddam will make sure thousands of people will die. . . . The U.S. will be branded as baby killers. In Washington, similar calls are coming from some Republican quarters. London is where Iraqi opposition groups are found in large supply, hosting as many as 60 real or supposed organizations. Many represent sizable ethnic and religious groups, Iraq specialists in London say, while others speak mainly for the individuals who set them up, who might be recent defectors or emigres who have not lived in Iraq in decades.
Some groups maintain a presence in nations bordering Iraq, such as Jordan.
The Iraqi National Accord continues to operate a radio transmitter in Jordan, Iraq specialists say. Others reportedly have agents in Iraq. The only reports of fighting against the Baghdad government involve dissident Shiite Muslims in southern Iraq who receive support from Iran. The opposition groups and the United States have been at odds often since the end of the Gulf War, when U.S. and allied forces opted not to advance on Baghdad to try to oust Saddam Hussein. U.S. troops set up a safe haven for Kurds in the north but stood aside as Iraqi forces crushed an uprising of Shiite Muslims in the south.