Regards, Ivan
Posted on 01/06/2003 4:36:33 PM PST by MadIvan
The British build-up for a war against Iraq accelerated yesterday with paratroopers ordered to start readiness training and reservists told they were about to be mobilised.
The Government is expected to announce mobilisation in the Commons today and to confirm that a naval task force led by the carrier Ark Royal will sail for the Gulf on Saturday.
But there was continuing uncertainty within the Government over the scale of Britain's contribution to any US-led operations inside Iraq.
Geoff Hoon, Defence Secretary, will fly to Turkey tomorrow to try to persuade it to allow British forces to use bases there. The Ankara government does not support an attack on Iraq.
The concerns within the Government over the likely reaction both at home and abroad to any British involvement in a US-led war were highlighted by Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, who insisted war was "not inevitable".
Saddam Hussein gave a defiant warning that Iraq was ready to repel any US invasion, dismissing American threats to disarm his country by force as the "hiss of snakes and bark of dogs".
In a televised message to his troops on Army Day, the Iraqi leader also criticised the UN weapons inspectors, accusing them of carrying out "pure intelligence work" on behalf of America.
The Government's uncertainty over which forces to send to war has frustrated defence chiefs, who have been saying that if it does not order troops to the Gulf soon they will not arrive in time. The reluctance to commit troops could now mean that initially at least only British light infantry will be deployed, MoD sources said.
The troops that had been expected to be sent to the Gulf centre were a reduced strength 1 (UK) Armoured Division, which would be based in Kuwait, and Royal Marines from 3 Commando Brigade who will be with the naval task force.
But units from 16 Air Assault Brigade, including 1 Bn Royal Irish Regiment and 3 Bn the Parachute Regiment, will be told today to begin training to provide a light infantry option.
"The fact that 16 Air Assault Brigade is being stood up does not mean that the heavy metal [armour] isn't going," one MoD source said. "It just means that our political masters have all the options should they need them."
But the source added that with the Government anxious not to give an impression of belligerence, ministers were leaning towards a lighter British ground force contribution.
A final decision on the make-up of the ground force was not expected until later in the week. But it was possible that 1 (UK) Armoured Division, while still deployed, would be held back and used for peacekeeping operations after the war was won.
A light force option will see the paras and the Royal Irish being used with US forces in an air assault role alongside the US 101st Airborne Division to fly forward and seize key targets while US tanks occupy Iraq.
Ark Royal will sail from Portsmouth on Saturday to carry out training before sailing to the Gulf. They will then sail to the eastern Mediterranean for an amphibious exercise with Royal Marines from 40 Commando who will embark on the helicopter carrier Ocean and then deploy to the Gulf.
The US build-up continued yesterday with 10,000 US reservists mobilised and the departure of an amphibious assault group carrying some 2,200 marines from San Diego, California, for the Gulf.
The 60,000-strong US force already in the Gulf is expected to double in coming weeks.
Regards, Ivan
Coming from a sack of pissed-off cobras and a pack of half-starved Rottweilers. Keep them one-liners coming, Saddam. We'll put the best one over that grease spot that was your last bit of DNA.
Regards, Ivan
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