January 11, 2003

US boosts Gulf presence

The United States has announced that it is sending tens of thousands of additional military personnel to the Gulf in the biggest deployment yet of its military build-up against Iraq.

Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld signed the order to send up to 35,000 reinforcements to the region, including more marines who would spearhead any possible invasion force.
[...]
They will raise the strength of US forces in the region to more than 120,000.

BBC Pentagon correspondent Nick Childs says the US intention is to keep up pressure on Baghdad which, Washington says, has weapons of mass destruction.

The American deployment comes as the British aircraft carrier Ark Royal set sail for the Gulf in the biggest British naval deployment since the Falklands War.
[...]Our correspondent says that with the latest deployment, the US military presence in the Gulf is getting close to the minimum size of force analysts believe would be needed to begin an attack.

Although, it is believed that the Pentagon is aiming for a force of 250,000.

It's great to see this Iraq attack finally about to go down...
"It's been a long time comin'...,"Saddam.
Say your prayers and prepare to meet your Allah!