Spies Did Not Help U.S. Pick Targets, Chief Says

A German spy chief and his agents assured members of Parliament that they did not help the United States pick out bombing targets during the invasion of Iraq, but failed to halt demands for an inquiry.

Ernst Uhrlau, head of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service, or BND, told Parliament’s foreign affairs committee that German intelligence gave the United States information only on civilian sites to avoid in bombing raids, members of the committee said.

Media reports that two German agents went further, including acting as scouts for a raid aimed at killing Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, have caused an uproar because the German government and public opinion both strongly opposed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.