Iraqi buildup near border puts Kuwait on heightened alert

World Tribune ^ | world tribune

[Mohammed El-Shahawi]

Monday, July 29, 2002 ABU DHABI — Kuwait has drafted an emergency plan in coordination with the United States as officials reported an Iraqi buildup near the Kuwaiti border.

On Monday, the Kuwaiti Al Rai Al Aam daily reported that authorities have cancelled all vacations for civil defense employees until further notice. The newspaper said the move is part of heightened preparations for an Iraqi attack.

The Kuwaiti Cabinet was presented with what was described as an emergency plan to counter an Iraqi military strike on the sheikdom over the next year.

Kuwaiti officials said the plan warns that the sheikdom can expect to be the first target of an Iraqi attack either prior to or during any U.S. military campaign to topple the regime of President Saddam Hussein. The Kuwaiti plan cited the Iraqi military buildup near the Kuwaiti border, Middle East Newsline reported. The plan, discussed on Sunday by the Cabinet, is meant to respond to both internal and external threats from the Saddam regime. Officials said the plan raises the prospect that Iraqi soldiers will storm Kuwait while Saddam's agents will try to launch a sabotage campaign within the sheikdom.

The plan was drafted in coordination with several ministries and the military, as well as the United States.

The Interior Ministry, Defense Ministry, the National Guard and the security agencies organized the plan into sections that discuss border security, internal security and security along the Iraqi front.

Officials said the plan will be tested in exercises and simulations. They said Kuwait's allies, particularly the United States, have been consulted in drafting the plan.

"Any attack must be decisive and lead to the collapse of the Iraqi regime," Kuwaiti Information Minister Ahmed Al Fahd said. "The view of Kuwait and Gulf Cooperation Council countries [on a U.S. attack on Iraq] depends on the collapse of the Iraqi regime."

[AdA$tra]

Saddam is dumb, but he's not this dumb.

Remember the last war. He did everything that all the "experts" said he wouldn't. He was always doing things that appeared dumb.

All these little articles about Iraqi misbeavior coupled with some things I have seen locally, make me think we are going in sooner rather than later.

[AdA$tra]

Wouldn't y'all like to know what was in # 8 reply?

I would have to admit I was bit curious. might as well post it again. The worst thing that can happen is WW III.

[voa-davidk]

Here around Orange County Calif . driving for a living ( between LA )and around LA County on the freeways , I have seen a significant amount of military traffic( several convoys, big heavy duty monster camouflaged crane type vehicles as during the biuld up of the Gulf war 1 .

This means for sure were on the way to Gulf War 2. The military traffic is just not there otherwise. I noticed it in the last few months .

[Light Speed]

Naw....
The Saudi's are going to make a killing on Pay per view stock options.

[The Raven]

Why are we giving Saddam all these advanced warnings?

I have this funny feeling that a "slow war" isn't going to work very well.

[catonsville]

Exactly. These ingrates would not support us when were fighting terrorists. We saved their asses once , now they want us to do it again.

Let them run scared for awhile, than we will rattle some sabers and turn off the Iraquis. Hey we need that Kuwaity oil.

[AdA$tra]

Not to say we are not going sooner instead of later, but remember there is the largest excercise in the history of the Army going on somewhere in California this week.

[demlosers]

Thanks for the link to the pics. A lot of construction has happened at Prince Sultan Air Base (Al Kharg) since I was there in 1996.

[Publius6961]

The Kuwaitis are in danger again? Somebody take the phone off the hook.

Great!
Set up the cameras and get the popcorn.
You listening CNN?

Saddam, knock yourself out!
Your Islamic brethern are awaiting you with hugs and kisses.

Real reality TV.
I love it.

[Publius6961]

I don't care how they play it, as long as they get rid of the current Iraqi gov't, and replace it with a secular democracy, a la post-WWII Japan.

Will never happen, unless a half dozen large and belligerent Muslim states are also utterly destroyed.

Unlikely, but works for me.

[Publius6961]

All the ME nations are in need of an enema.

Problem is, where to apply it?
When the whole area is one big...

Never mind.

[AdA$tra]

My brother works for Dow (FKA Union Carbide). He worked in Kuwait for three years after the Gulf War building/rebuilding a plant there. For some reason about three months ago he tried to get transfered back there again. I could not get a straight from him as to why he would want to do something so stoooopid.

[Publius6961]

you are right- I oftwen wondered why saddumb twidled his thumbs while we built a massive force to kick his butt last time around...

He was counting on the US fear and panic of world "opinion".
Muslim propaganda is the most powerful weapon they have.

[wallcrawlr]

I couldnt agree more...

Around a million or so per American would be good for starters, then free gas and oil for a lifetime would be next, then...

[putupon]

Let him go as far as Mecca, then nuke him. I don't want a US soldier to get as much as a hangnail defending Kuwait or the Sowdys.

[iceskater]

I heard something on Paul Harvey this morning about military vehicles going into some base (dang it, I can't remember which base he said) painted with green camoflage and coming out painted in the desert camoflage colors. He made the point that this happened with Gulf War I.

[johnb838]

>> It's sure going to be a great 50th birthday for this beauty:

The B52 has to be the greatest military weapon of all time. Its like toilet paper and the mousetrap. You just can't design a better long-range heavy-payload bomber and thats why 50 years later its bombing Afghanistan into the 20th century. Kinda puts a lump in your throat.

[ellery]

I think we've realized the futility of keeping things totally quiet -- especially in these must-inform-all-allies-in-advance times. So instead, we confuse Saddam by giving him a bunch of conflicting stories -- it's just as good as keeping it quiet in terms of confusing him...and it may serve to keep him under pressure, thus increasing the chances that he does something stupid.

[LenS]

The standard camo color on US Military vehicles should probably always be desert camo. The vast majority of the world's hotspots are in the not-so-green lands. Korea and the Balkans being the main exceptions.

[iceskater]

That seems to make sense to me. I guess the green camo is a holdover from WWII/Korea/Viet Nam?