Posted on 09/07/2002 5:46:49 AM PDT by McGruff
KUWAIT (Reuters) - The United States is intensifying air operations over Iraq in a war of nerves which military experts said on Saturday appears designed to show resolve and confuse Baghdad over a strike date.
"There is heavy volume up there right now and they are using a variety of warplanes...it is again more than usual," one Western defense source told Reuters of patrols by U.S. and British aircraft to enforce "no-fly" zones over Iraq.
The two powers police the zones over southern and northern Iraq with daily patrols by warplanes and unmanned spy planes.
In a raid on Thursday, U.S. and British planes attacked an Iraqi command-and-control post at a military airfield 240 miles west of Baghdad. The Pentagon ( news - web sites) played down a British newspaper report that 100 planes had been involved.
The strike, the latest of a series, came amid speculation that President Bush ( news - web sites) is preparing an attack to oust President Saddam Hussein ( news - web sites), whom Washington accuses of developing weapons of mass destruction.
"They have to make them believe every day that today is the day...until they actually do it," said one military expert of U.S. tactics to maintain pressure on Saddam.
Since the 1991 Gulf War ( news - web sites) ended Iraq's seven-month occupation of Kuwait, the United States and Britain have maintained a military presence in the Gulf and Turkey with new U.S. military facilities nearing completion this year in Kuwait and Qatar.
Defense sources in the Gulf said that a larger number of aircraft were seen involved over Iraq in recent days, including Thursday's strike.
"I think this is the most sorties they have made since 1998," a Western source said, referring to the time when Washington and London launched a four-day military campaign against Iraq in December of that year.
Gulf Arab bases, including Kuwaiti facilities, were used in that attack, but Saudi Arabia and most other Arab states have opposed fresh military action against Iraq.
PRESSURE ON SADDAM
The Pentagon said Thursday's air strike, coming shortly before a summit on Saturday between Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair ( news - web sites) expected to be dominated by Iraq, was routine enforcement of "no-fly" zones.
It stated that 12 planes dropped 25 missiles against the command-and-control post at an Iraqi military airfield.
But other sources in the Gulf reported increased operations as Washington and London to try to rally international and regional support for possible military action against Iraq.
"This is the scenario to pressure him (Saddam) in a war of nerves," said an Arab defense official of the stepped-up military operations.
One expert said the United States appeared to want to keep Baghdad "on its toes for the next few weeks."
Kuwaiti and U.S. officials in the oil-rich state also gave details of shipments of heavy weapons and equipment to the area, but said this was for scheduled military maneuvers near Iraq's border, not for any strike against Baghdad.
"The equipment will take part in 'Desert Spring' (exercises) this fall," a U.S. officer told Reuters on Saturday.
Kuwait says this is part of joint training carried out in desert locations near Iraq since the end of the Gulf War.
On returning from an Arab League meeting in Cairo, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammad al-Salem al-Sabah said on Friday night the military deployment should not be seen in the context of current tension with Iraq.
U.S. Army Secretary Thomas White said on Thursday the Army recently moved heavy weapons and supplies from Qatar to Kuwait to test required mobility if Bush ordered preparations for war.
The United States has about 10,000 troops in Kuwait and a variety of warplanes, battle tanks, howitzer guns and Apache helicopters. Czech and German anti-chemical warfare units, as well as British Tornado planes, are also based in the country.
They are going to make them believe every day is the day, because it is.
"When will it come? Is this it? What next?"
Sadaam probably needs to change his diaper by now.
US capacity and nature of warfighting has changed significantly since the early 90's. Too much emphasis on the 'Art" of war and not enough on actual combat to change the willpower of an enemy.
Iraq, especialy after 911, even if not heavily involved, and moreso if directly implicated, will be directed to employ assymetric warfare with smaller WMD.
IMHO, the real threat is Iraq as a suitcase WMD factory working hand in hand with Islamic extreme militants who blend into the western culture with a fervid desire to emulate suicide bombers.
The BBC polls interestingly enough paint the typical adversary to US opposition in Iraq as only targeting oil interests. The last 5 or so staff exercises I've observed of military interests in the Mideast all had significant oil terminal/pipelines depicted on maps even for enlisted and company grade officers to observe, an NONE of them even noticed any importance to their existence. Bottomline is that the US military is by no means interested in the oilfields. Their targets aren't in anyway focused on oil control nor mechanisms implied to control the land or flow of oil in the region.
Their only focus is on opposing military threat.
With this stated, when the US military is quiet and moving to act, with heavy info warfare, this is a very very, strong indicator that a very grave threat of Iraqi WMD exists.
Yep. I feel sorry for all the goat-herders he has drafted at gunpoint. They don't have a chance.
Will the Arab Street get really, really mad at us?
Those (expletive deleted) danced in the streets while thousands died. I hope they have apoplectic fits while we liberate Iraq.
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