(Boston Globe) Colin Nickerson - Germany's intelligence service helped the U.S. identify bombing targets in Baghdad during the opening days of the Iraq war, even though Germany had objected to the U.S.-led invasion. Officials of the intelligence service and other ministries confirmed that the government of former chancellor Gerhard Schroder authorized exchanges of intelligence information with the U.S. about installations in Baghdad. The officials insisted that German agents in Baghdad only provided the U.S. with information intended to prevent accidental attacks against civilian installations, such as precise coordinates for schools, hospitals, and diplomatic compounds. But a German newspaper and public television, quoting an unidentified ''Pentagon official," reported this week that intelligence agents in Baghdad also helped the U.S. identify bombing targets. Public television reported that one of the German agents received a medal from the U.S. for his service in the war.
2006-01-18 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive