Iraqi Coup Bid Told; U.S. Aides Discount Report

An exiled Iraqi dissident group said Thursday that disgruntled members of the Republican Guard had mounted a coup attempt earlier this week against President Saddam Hussein, but the reports were disputed by other exiled Iraqis and some U.S. officials.

The incident was first reported by the Associated Press, which cited a fax it had received from the London-based Iraqi National Congress, a dissident organization.

The group said that a mechanized brigade, commanded by Brig. Gen. Sabri Mahmoud, had pushed toward Baghdad but was thwarted in its advance. Mahmoud was subsequently executed, the report said.

Other dissidents and several U.S. sources said, however, that while an “incident” had occurred, it could not be called a coup attempt.

Saad Jabr, head of another dissident group, the Free Iraq Council, said: “There was no coup but there have been executions of officers. It’s a repeat of what Saddam does when he wants to get rid of people he suspects. It puts the fear of God into other officers.”

A Pentagon official also discounted the reports, saying: “It would be a suicide mission unless you had people inside.”