Posted on 08/11/2002 10:11:39 AM PDT by Prodigal Son
By Kedar Sharma
AL-UDEID, Qatar, Aug 11 (Reuters) - If the United States decides to attack Iraq, it is likely to do so from its fast-expanding military base deep within the desert of the tiny Gulf state of Qatar, diplomats and analysts said on Sunday.
Faced with refusal from key Gulf Arab ally Saudi Arabia to be a launch pad for strikes on Baghdad, Washington has poured money and labour into expanding its $1.4 billion Al Udeid airbase which officials say will be finished by December.
Qatar has publicly opposed any attack on Iraq but Gulf-based diplomats say Doha, widely seen as a maverick in this conservative region, has much to gain by currying favour with the world's only superpower.
"We cannot say when or how the facilities would be used...but as far as the progress of work is concerned it is almost 80 percent complete and I guess it should be ready by the year-end," said a U.S. official who declined to be named.
Commander of U.S. Central Command Tommy Franks has said the base was being developed for "times of crisis".
On Sunday, U.S. Congressman David Hobson, chairman of the House of Representatives military construction sub-committee, visited the base, heightening speculation it could play a central role for U.S. military activity in the region.
The United States has several Gulf bases, mainly in Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, which alone hosts about 5,000 troops.
During the 1991 Gulf War, Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan airbase was the operations centre for U.S. troops taking part in the multi-national coalition which liberated Kuwait from Iraqi occupation.
Qatar, like other Arab states, has warned against a military strike on Iraq as a means of carrying out U.S. President George W. Bush's stated policy of ousting Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
But diplomats say the Al Udeid base, equipped with command facilities and satellite links that can control thousands of air strikes daily, offers Washington an alternative to its Prince Sultan base.
In Washington on Sunday, Senator Fred Thompson, a Republican member of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, said the United States did not need Saudi Arabian bases for an attack on Iraq.
"There are other countries in that area that we can use. We're in the Gulf there already. I don't think we have to have them (Saudi bases) in order to do that." Thompson told the Fox News Sunday program.
RAPID TRANSFORMATION
Construction work at Al Udeid, in sun-scorched sands 45 km (28 miles) west of the capital Doha, started three years ago but was switched into top gear in November after Saudi Arabia refused to let U.S. planes and troops heading to Afghanistan use the Prince Sultan base.
Instead, the United States launched attacks from its Fifth Fleet facilities off Bahrain, and Al Udeid -- then a make-shift complex of tents and capable of housing 40 aircraft.
The past nine months have transformed Al Udeid into a state-of-the-art facility with one of the longest runways in the Middle East, at 4,500 metres (14,760 ft), and that can accommodate up to 120 fighter jets, U.S. officials say.
The airbase has three hardened concrete underground shelters which can each hold 40 aircraft capable of operating even if the base came under biological or chemical attack.
Al Udeid stands next to a sprawling arms warehouse, where Central Command has stored tanks, armoured personnel carriers and enough weapons to equip a whole brigade.
But a drive past Al Udeid, located in a maximum security zone, reveals nothing of the activity going on inside its high, sand-coloured walls ringed with heavy barbed wire.
Al Udeid's fast-track development has only increased speculation that the United States was planning to shift its regional command centre from the kingdom to Qatar, particularly after the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington.
The hijacked jet attacks, which Washington says were mainly carried out by Saudis, strained U.S.-Saudi ties with some questioning the "loyalty" of Washington's main Gulf ally.
Before that, Saudi Arabia had reportedly grumbled to Washington that its troops had overstayed their welcome.
But during a visit to Doha in June, U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld played down talk about Al Udeid, saying it would not become the main U.S. headquarters in the region.
Al Udeid hosts around 3,000 US troops and 50 planes. Officials say once complete, it will be home to 10,000 troops.
Dec 13, 2000 U.S. Embassy in Qatar is closed for security reasons
Oct 24, 2000 U.S. forces in Qatar, Bahrain on high alert
Nov 11, 2001 Some Americans hurt in Qatar shooting - diplomat
Dec 21, 2001- U.S. massing its troops near Iraq (20,000-plus soldiers moved to Kuwait, Qatar)
Feb 2, 2002 U.S. TO BOLSTER MILITARY PRESENCE IN QATAR
March 14, 2002- More Rumors: Washington Considers Moving U.S. Military Forces from Saudi Arabia to Qatar
March 14, 2002- Senior Officer Sees Bahrain, Qatar Air Bases As Backups To Saudi Arabia
March 19- Stratfor- US Moves Equipment From Saudi Base to Qatar
March 20, 2002 (Bill Gertz)- U.S. SEEKS USE OF LARGE SECRET AIRBASE IN QATAR
March 27, 2002- US paves way for war on Iraq (USAF moving HQ from Saudi to Qatar)
April 6, 2002- US Eyes Qatar as Backup for Saudi Base, Post Says
April 6 Wash Post- Contingency Plan Shifts Saudi Base To Qatar
June 30, 2002- U.S. Bolsters Forces in Qatar Desert
July 29- Souring Relations Between Qatar and Saudi Arabia Threaten U.S. Forces
The Middle East is starting to look a lot like a larger Vietnam.
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