Monday, December 09, 2002

US forces are set for war
"The United States will soon have enough tanks, warships, aircraft, bombs and troops in the Persian Gulf region to enable it to begin an attack against Iraq some time next month, military officials say. About 60,000 soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen, as well as about 200 warplanes, are in or near the region. The army alone has 9000 soldiers, 24 Apache helicopter gunships and heavy equipment for two armoured brigades in Kuwait. Equipment for a third brigade is steadily arriving on ships usually based in the Indian Ocean, and some material will be stored at a new $US200million ($360million) logistics base, Camp Arifjan, south of Kuwait City.

"By late this week four aircraft carriers will be poised to strike Iraq on short notice, with a fifth in South-East Asia ready to steam to the Gulf in a crisis. Two carriers, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, are heading home, but the navy will keep their crews together about two weeks longer than the usual 30 days after arrival in case they are ordered back to the Gulf."

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