Troops 'told of March 17 invasion'

dailytelegraph ^ | 06 March 2003

[Mossad1967]

BRITISH troops had been told an invasion of Iraq would begin on March 17, with a huge bombing campaign being launched four days earlier, the Daily Express in London has reported.

The tabloid quoted a senior government source, who it reported had direct access to British military planning in Kuwait, as saying that "everything is being geared up towards a ground invasion beginning on Monday week".

British newspapers also reported that Britain and the US were considering an amended new United Nations resolution giving Iraq a short time to disarm or face imminent military action.

The Times said that London and Washington were to force a vote on a new resolution early next week, but were studying ways of luring wavering Security Council members into their camp.

One possible solution would be to introduce an ultimatum into the resolution, or a protocol alongside it. The intention would be to give Iraq a few more days to produce chemical and biological weapons, or furnish evidence of their destruction.

The pro-war Sun, Britain's biggest-selling daily, said that US President George W. Bush would give Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein a 72-hour ultimatum to disarm next week after a crucial Security Council vote.

The order to strike would be given even if France vetoed a new resolution that aimed to pave the way to military action, the tabloid added.

Action was expected to begin towards the end of next week, and senior allied commanders had set April 10 as the target date for the end of the war, before temperatures in Iraq soared and the cost of conflict spirals, The Sun said.

In an editorial, the tabloid renewed an attack on French President Jacques Chirac, calling him "Le Worm" for his "spineless" refusal to back the tough US stance on Iraq.

France and Russia on Wednesday dangled the threat of using their veto power on the Security Council to block a new US-British-Spanish resolution.

The Sun claimed Chirac was trying to protect his country's trade deals in the region, and "never meant it when he opposed military action".

France could do a "massive U-turn" if chief UN arms inspector Hans Blix delivered a negative report to the UN on Friday, and Chirac could "emerge with a vestige of respectability", the paper said.

The right-wing Daily Mail tabloid said that Bush would give Saddam a three-day final deadline to disarm next week, whether a new resolution in the Security Council passed, failed or was withdrawn.

The paper said on its front page that British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Bush's staunchest supporter in the Iraq crisis, had been dealt a "double hammer blow" by Blix saying that Iraq's destruction of a number of banned Al-Samoud missiles was "real disarmament", and by the declaration by France and Russia.

[Lucas1]

Hey while were at it...can we go ahead and post information about where troops are stationed...what time they will be arriving at each location...and so on? I mean it is a free for all on freepers tonight.

Keep posting the information people...the enemy loves it!!!!!!! Good Job!

Regardless of whether it is showing up on other sites...why does it have to show up here? I guess it doesn't really matter what we post.

[PoisedWoman]

Duplicate post. Go here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/857876/posts

[Thane_Banquo]

I wonder of the veracity of reports that give exact dates. As Churchill said, in war time "the truth must be guarded by a body of lies."

[Cold Heat]

Interesting, but just conjecture and educated guessing.

I like the ides of March idea however. I has a Shakespearian ring to it.

[dighton]

Here is the inside dope. Tell no one: loose lips (et cetera).

[Blood of Tyrants]

Chill a bit. Do you think that Saddam doesn't have people reading the Daily Telegraph?

[piasa]

We're going to lead off with the 1001st Leprechaun Legion?

[Cold Heat]

In my humble opinion, information from a publicized news source does not necessarily fall into the "loose lips" category.

This info is already in the public domain.

Information of troop deployment and aircraft movements from people who live near the base or have intimate knowledge of these things would definitely be in that category.

[Dog Gone]

The pro-war Sun, Britain's biggest-selling daily, said that US President George W. Bush would give Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein a 72-hour ultimatum to disarm next week after a crucial Security Council vote.

I guess that could explain the television time Bush reportedly asked for next week.

[Go Gordon]

Chill a bit. Do you think that Saddam doesn't have people reading the Daily Telegraph?

I think he asked Dan Rather to do that and keep him posted.

[Bogey78O]

By the way, do you have their encryption codes?

[AmericanInTokyo]

The Japanese KYODO ran the update a few hours ago, in Japanese, saying the Govt. of Japan has urged ALL Japanese citizens in ALL OF KUWAIT, and the EASTERN PORTION OF SAUDI ARABIA, to get out at once. It was an evacuation order. Several hours ago.

[Travis McGee]

Don't sweat the load, it has already been printed in a British paper read by millions, and it's all part of the psyops campaign.

[Arkinsaw]

please remove this for loose lips

This is from one of the major UK daily newspapers. How in the world could reposting it here be "loose lips"? If you want to get on to someone for loose lips, call up the Guardian or the British Tommy who called somebody on his cell phone from Kuwait.

[dighton]

O ye of little faith! This isn't crap like all the others . . . . it's the one and only true crap.

;-)

[Travis McGee]

Did I mention that on March 17 I will exercise my option to purchase the Golden Gate Bridge?

[Always A Marine]

please remove this for loose lips. This could cost us a preemptive strike. !! The iraqes post here.

Don't be silly. Hundreds of thousands of people heard about this before it was posted here, and very few of them know if it's true or not. Disinformation is also being spread for its own effect and to diminish the damage caused by the compromise of accurate details, so you need not worry about what is posted here from published sources.

Saddam will not be surprised by the timing of our attack; let's just hope he is shocked by its violence...

[DennisR]

I do not think I would spend too much time worrying about this. The government is probably leaking this stuff as more incentive for Saddam Insane to relent. Even so, what difference does it really make? We are talking about an 800-lb gorilla (us) going into battle with a bunch of penguins (them). Does it really matter what the penguins know? And if they know something, what exactly are they going to do about it? By telling them we are invading on March 17, it just gives the "Elite Republican Guard" a deadline to have their white flags sewn and ready to fly and their "I Surrender--God Bless the USA" signs ready.