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US Called Off First Attacks
This Is London ^ | 10/3/01 | Jeremy Campbell

Posted on 10/03/2001 9:25:39 AM PDT by hispanarepublicana

The United States and Britain yesterday called off military strikes against terrorist targets in Afghanistan at the last minute.

Washington officials say today that a severe attack of last-minute cold feet by some key Arab members of the coalition caused President Bush to postpone the operation.

The waverers are Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Oman, and US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is embarking on an urgent mission today to strengthen nerves in these countries.

Prime Minister Tony Blair is also about to undertake a hasty visit to the region. Saudi Arabia's support is especially vital, because Allied aircraft and commanders need its base facilities.

Two senior US officials have told reporters that until yesterday the Saudis were firm in their offer to provide assistance for strikes, including use of a state-of-the-art command centre at the Prince Royal Sultan Air Force Base.

Then the situation changed. One US official told Knight Newspapers: "That is no longer true. We fear there is something deeper here."

Mr Rumsfeld's trip to the Middle East is intended to mend these unexpected ruptures.

Downing Street, meanwhile, confirmed Mr Blair will be departing on a mission tomorrow but refused, on security grounds, to be drawn on any of the detail. Amid clear unease over the advance leaks of the trip, a spokesman dismissed all reports as "speculationî maintaining that some of the suggested calling points for the Prime Minister were simply wrong.

Mr Rumsfeld's tour, which includes Saudi Arabia, Oman, Egypt and Uzbekistan, is being compared to the stage-setting trip made by Dick Cheney, then Defence Secretary, to the Gulf just before the start of Desert Storm.

This time there is more at stake. Near the top of Mr Rumsfeld's list of priorities is to talk his way to an agreement with Uzbekistan, on the northern border of Afghanistan, to use the country as a staging area for the attack.

Uzbekistan is now regarded as a potential key asset in the coming showdown, but is rated the coalition's single most fragile link.

Highly attractive to the US are the number of abandoned air bases there, once used by the Soviet Union.

This will be Mr Rumsfeld's first face-to-face meeting with the ruling regime there. It has demanded that the US negotiate a complete Status of Forces Agreement before it will permit the use of its military bases - an unrealistic condition which could be tangled up in legal knots for years.

The trip, undertaken at the request of President Bush, is expected to last three days.

Oman, also skittish, is regarded as an important support base for a ground incursion. US special operations forces can be flown there and then put on amphibious invasion ships.

US officials are not sure whether this is a case of lastminute jitters, or " something more serious".

One notable omission on Mr Rumsfeld's itinerary is Pakistan. "The last thing Pakistan needs is a high profile visit by a US Secretary of Defence," said a Pentagon official.

The country is contending with ferocious anti-American demonstrations, with Mr Bus burned in effigy and hordes shouting: "Death to America! Let Americans come here to be buried!"

Washington officials advised reporters not to assume military action was only hours away. They stressed that Mr Bush will act only when he is convinced, by Mr Rumsfeld and others, that "all the pieces are in place". Such action will come "at various stages and times", they said. The President himself told reporters there is "no calendar" for the start of hostilities.


TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: afghanistan
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1 posted on 10/03/2001 9:25:40 AM PDT by hispanarepublicana
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To: hispanarepublicana
The country is contending with ferocious anti-American demonstrations, with Mr Bush burned in effigy and hordes shouting: Let Americans come here to bury us!"

There thats better!

2 posted on 10/03/2001 9:30:07 AM PDT by Gasshog
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To: hispanarepublicana
Don't know if this is a reputable source, but Rumsfeld IS going to the Region.

Saudi Arabia better get on board after all the US assistance they have received. DRILL ANWR now so we don't have to depend on the schizoid Middle East.

3 posted on 10/03/2001 9:31:17 AM PDT by RobFromGa
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To: hispanarepublicana
Well, it wouldn't have done much good to go ahead with attacks yesterday as there was a giant sand storm in Afghanistan that would have weakened our efforts.
4 posted on 10/03/2001 9:34:25 AM PDT by Heisenburger
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To: RobFromGa
A coalition was a great idea! Now we get to let other countries tell us how and when we get to seek retribution for the the deaths of our citizens.
5 posted on 10/03/2001 9:36:12 AM PDT by Loopy
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To: hispanarepublicana
"Then the situation changed. One US official told Knight Newspapers: "That is no longer true. We fear there is something deeper here."

I guess these folks finally received their orders from Bin Laden, huh?

6 posted on 10/03/2001 9:36:31 AM PDT by blam
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To: Heisenburger
...and a brightly lit full moon
7 posted on 10/03/2001 9:37:40 AM PDT by rbmillerjr
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Comment #8 Removed by Moderator

To: hispanarepublicana
Bush will assure a democrap majority for the next decade if he continues to be wishy-washy on attacking the terrorist.
9 posted on 10/03/2001 9:38:18 AM PDT by Texbob
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To: hispanarepublicana
Washington officials say...

I don't know about anyone else, but the minute I see those words, I assume we're looking at a 50-50 chance that this is disinformation.

10 posted on 10/03/2001 9:40:38 AM PDT by Dominus Vobiscum
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To: East Bay Patriot
This war is going nowhere fast.
11 posted on 10/03/2001 9:41:09 AM PDT by Sans-Culotte
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To: East Bay Patriot
You, of course, are on a single-digit chalk for early deployment?

(Another freakin keyboard warrior.)

12 posted on 10/03/2001 9:44:14 AM PDT by been_lurking
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To: Gasshog
Bury them? I vote for feeding them to the hogs!
13 posted on 10/03/2001 9:44:17 AM PDT by Blood of Tyrants
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To: rbmillerjr
you are correct.... the over/under (before/after) date for placing wagers should be set on Oct 15th.
14 posted on 10/03/2001 9:45:50 AM PDT by kjam22
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To: hispanarepublicana
You know what, If they don't like it they can get some to. We need to get these SOB'S, if these other countries get in the way, well they can be added to the list. That's why a coalition won't work, they will never accept us attacking other Muslim Arabs, it just won't happen that way. We were attacked and if we have to act alone, we must do it or things will never be as they were previously to the WTC disaster. This is war Bub and in War you have to take sides, if they pick the other side. Well then we have new targets.
15 posted on 10/03/2001 9:47:44 AM PDT by HELLRAISER II
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To: Dominus Vobiscum
I don't believe this. Tony Blair didn't give his speech until yesterday afternoon, and by then Rumsfeld was already scheduled to leave on the trip. The Bush administration doesn't leak, so this information came from somebody who doesn't really know, unless it's disinformation.
16 posted on 10/03/2001 9:48:28 AM PDT by Dog Gone
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Comment #17 Removed by Moderator

To: Blood of Tyrants
An observation: all the Washington and Pentagon "officials" and "sources" are spilling their guts to the British press everyday, and in turn the British press has predicted "war in 24 hours," followed by reasons it didn't happen, on a daily basis since 9/11.
18 posted on 10/03/2001 9:50:15 AM PDT by browardchad
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To: hispanarepublicana
We need to placate these three countries only until our job in Afgahnistan is done.
Then they, too will pay for screwing around with us.
The only ones to trust are the ones who aren't asking for favors in return for doing the right damn thing in the first place!
19 posted on 10/03/2001 9:50:37 AM PDT by Psalm 73
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To: East Bay Patriot
While I agree completely with your sentiments, the US cannot just rush in like a bull in a china shop. Have patience. Let the authorities roll up the terrorist networks in the US and elsewhere to obviate counter attacks. Give the SF time to gather more intelligence on the ground. Give the taliban foot soldiers time to defect. Lull OBL into a false sense of security. Gather more forces, like the Kitty Hawk which has yet to arrive in theatre. Let Rumsfeld calm some of the shaky regimes. Let the full moon wane for night operations. Next week, my friend, OBL's world will rock.
20 posted on 10/03/2001 9:52:50 AM PDT by Former Proud Canadian
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