- More than 20,000 American troops have been moved into
Qatar and Kuwait amid intense indications that Washington is preparing
to move the war on terrorism into Iraq.
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- Defence sources last night confirmed the massing of
troops
near the Iraqi border and said the massive movement is at least designed
to intimidate Saddam Hussein and at most a definite step towards directing
the war on terror towards new targets.
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- The US moved its 3rd Army HQ to Qatar two weeks ago and
defence analysts have reported large numbers of troops being moved into
the region since. The 3rd Army is the ground component of Central Command,
which oversees America's military operations in the Middle East and
Afghanistan.
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- It was in charge of coalition forces during the Gulf
War.
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- The Pentagon has publicly insisted it is merely rotating
troops. But defence analysts say about 24,000 troops have been moved in,
with barely a brigade around 4,000 moving out.
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- The Czech Republic inadvertently confirmed the build-up
by saying up to 400 troops it has committed to the war might be sent to
Kuwait.
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- The deployment of so many troops may be designed to
intimidate
Saddam Hussein. American officials admitted that a State Department team,
led by Ryan Crocker, the deputy assistant secretary of state for Near
Eastern
Affairs, was surreptitiously sent into northern Iraq recently to meet
Kurdish
leaders.
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- The visit was intended to make Baghdad jittery and to
encourage the Kurdish leaders to unite to provide opposition to
Saddam.
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- President Bush and his top advisers are said to have
decided against launching an attack on Iraq and favour encouraging
opposition
forces to overthrow Saddam from within.
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- The presence of so many troops nearby would therefore
be seen as support for opposition forces should they rise up like those
in Afghanistan.
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- US Secretary of State Colin Powell is devising a
long-term
plan aimed at forcing Iraq to readmit UN weapons inspectors and co- operate
with a set of economic sanctions. Officials say if the Iraqi leader refuses
they do not rule out using military force.
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- Mr Powell's advisers and the CIA prefer the search for
'an Iraqi Gorbachev' an attempt to install a more amenable figure than
Saddam drawn from within the Ba'ath apparatus.
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- Others, led by the Pentagon and by the National Security
Adviser, Condoleezza Rice, think this will fail, getting rid of the tyrant,
but not the institution of tyranny.
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- They prefer what they call the Afghan route - bombing
in support of ground forces, many of whom are indigenous. The no- fly zones
would be extended, a "no-drive" zone would also be enforced,
and support for insurgents would come in from Turkey in the north, and
from the south.
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- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan last night warned the
US against expanding its war on terrorism to Iraq, saying it would further
inflame Mideast tensions.
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- The other big concern is that Saddam Hussein has anthrax
and could send a courier to a US city and release it, possibly killing
thousands.
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- But some officials in Washington argue that a pre-emptive
strike is the best way to deal with the possibility.
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- * The underground fires that have burned at the World
Trade Centre site since September 11 were finally extinguished
yesterday.
- http://www.unison.ie
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