The Pentagon has identified as many as 5,000 Iraqi foes of President Saddam Hussein for U.S. combat training due to begin next month, a major step toward a possible U.S.-led military attack on Iraq, The Washington Post reported on Saturday.
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A White House official told Reuters: "It has long been understood that an effective opposition is part of our overall regime-change policy as first outlined in the 1998 Iraq Liberation Act."

That law authorized $98 million for opposition training.

But a directive signed by then-President Bill Clinton restricted spending to nonlethal instruction, a policy retained until now by Bush.
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"Bush's decision marks another major step forward in preparation for a U.S. military assault on Iraq," the Post said.

U.S. Said to Train Iraqi Exiles for Combat