Posted on 02/01/2003 5:24:44 AM PST by kattracks
CAIRO Feb. 1 —A British naval flotilla, including an aircraft carrier and helicopter carrier, entered Egypt's Suez Canal on Saturday bound for the Persian Gulf, port officials said.
The vessels entered the canal under tight security and were expected to cross into the Red Sea later Saturday before sailing toward the Persian Gulf to join a U.S.-British military buildup ahead of possible war in Iraq.
The British vessels were being accompanied by the American nuclear submarine USS Montpelier, port officials said on condition of anonymity.
The forces include the biggest naval task group Britain has deployed in 20 years, consisting of the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, helicopter carrier HMS Ocean and three destroyers. Seven supply ships are also part of the flotilla, which is carrying 3,000 Royal Marines and 5,000 sailors.
Britain has ordered 35,000 troops including a quarter of its army to head toward the Gulf for possible military action.
More than 60,000 U.S. troops are already in the Gulf region. By the end of February, the numbers will likely swell beyond 150,000 as U.S. military planners build a strike force capable of attacking Iraq if Washington decides to wage war on Saddam Hussein over suspicions he has stockpiled weapons of mass destruction.
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