- Pentagon chiefs have pinpointed a six-week "window
of opportunity" in which to launch a war against Iraq.
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- Officials are now openly brief-ing diplomats that they
"want to light the blue touchpaper".
-
- If a blitz is authorised, all the signs point to a December
16 start÷with the "window" stretching beyond Christmas
until the end of January. Cool clear weather and long winter nights would
be ideally suited for a hi-tech bombing campaign.
-
- Planes and troops could move under the cover of darkness,
minimising the risk of casualties.
-
- The campaign would involve hundreds of jets÷ including
British warplanes÷cruise missiles and stealth bombers.
-
- The Americans plan to pound Iraq for a month before launching
a massive ground invasion from Kuwait in the south and Turkey in the north.
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- British and Irish diplomats based in Washington were
called in last week for the latest update in the plans.
-
- They will be raised in a special House of Commons debate
tomorrow.
-
- The government are also expected to call out the Territorial
Army to provide emergency cover during the fire dispute÷replacing
army units currently manning Green Goddesses.
-
- American special forces are secretly training more than
5,000 Iraqi rebels to spearhead their planned invasion.
-
- Senior Pentagon sources have confirmed the dissidents
will be ready to join American and British troops within the next two months.
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- Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has until December 8 to disclose
how many weapons of mass destruction he has.
-
- America is expected to immediately accuse him of lying.
And an immediate attack would be triggered if UN weapons inspectors currently
in Baghdad find Saddam has tried to deceive them.
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- The rebel army÷made up of Kurdish rebels from
Northern Iraq, Marsh Arabs from the south and military defectors from the
elite Republican Guard÷has been training in Kuwait since August.
-
- The Kuwaiti government, which last week turned almost
half its country into a closed-off US military base, has funded the creation
of the force.
-
- As the threat of war grew closer, British and American
warplanes hit targets in southern Iraq for the third successive day on
Friday.
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- The strike came after an Iraqi military jet flew into
a no-fly zone monitored by Allied planes.
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- http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/news5.html
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