Pentagon sources: U.S. plans post-war Iraq sectors
From Barbara Starr
CNN Pentagon Correspondent
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SPECIAL REPORT
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The United States plans the following changes in Iraq, Pentagon sources told CNN:
The Iraqi Ministry of Information, which controls the state run media, would be disbanded and restructured with a free television, radio and print element.
Other sensitive ministries such as those overseeing justice and intelligence structures would be overhauled.
The special Republican Guard and Republican Guard would be disbanded, but the regular army would be kept as a manpower force to help with reconstruction.
The U.S. administration team would run a Ministry of Religious Affairs to oversee mosques and other religious activities.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The government will divide Iraq into three sectors for post-war civil administration as soon as security is established if a war begins, according to Pentagon sources.
The plan calls for a northern and southern sector to be under the administration of two retired U.S. Army generals.
A central sector, including Baghdad, will be administered by Barbara Bodine, former U.S. ambassador to Yemen, the sources said. She served in the post during the bombing of the USS Cole in October 2000.
The plan is being developed by the Pentagon's Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance, led by retired U.S. Army Gen. Jay Garner, the sources explained.
Garner is slated to lead a team of more than 150 Bush administration officials and hundreds of private sector personnel to Baghdad to establish a new Iraqi government structure as soon as the U.S. military can assure security.
Once they get to Baghdad, Garner will for a period of time become the "interim transitional civil administrator" of Iraq.
The plan calls for each sector to administer humanitarian assistance, reconstruction efforts and civil administration across the country.
The Bush administration has selected a U.S. government official to oversee each Iraqi ministry that the U.S. plans to keep running after the war.
Each U.S. person will be installed in a ministry and attempt to keep it running with Iraqi civil servants.
