A Kurdish independent weekly newspaper reported that the Iraqis have withdrawn 45,000 troops (along with their tanks, other armored vehicles and an artillery battalion) from Mosul and its environs on March 8 and 9, towards Baghdad. The Iraqis have also withdrawn 25,000 troops and four artillery battalions from around Shingar [Sinjar] and moved them to an unknown destination. - Adam Geibel

While UN arms inspectors reported they had found a rocket warhead with chemical submunitions (heavy metal balls with holes, a design that has been seen before, one that could be used for dispersing biological and chemical agents.) Also found was a drone aircraft, with a 25 foot wingspan, that was rigged to dispense chemical or biological weapons. Using a drone eliminated the problem of contaminating the crew when dispensing chemical or biological weapons at slow speeds by spraying.

The U.S. admitted something that people in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have suspected for months, that the U.S. has been in touch with senior commanders of the Iraqi army (division commanders and up) to arrange their surrender when the war starts. The Iraqi generals have been told that any of them that use chemical or biological weapons will be hunted down and punished. But those generals who cooperate would be protected from retribution (by the Iraqi people) and get jobs or pensions. Those generals with a lot of blood on their hands (this is, after all, Iraq) would still face punishment. The US also announced that it would cover the government payroll once Saddam is overthrown. Since Saddam took over in the 1970s, he (and his extended family) have taken over ownership of a large chunk of the Iraqi economy. This has resulted in the majority of jobs in Iraq now being government jobs. So when you replace Saddam, you become the employer of most Iraqis with regular jobs.