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| Axis of Evil |
| UK task force heading to Gulf |
| 2002-12-16 |
| A Royal Navy task force is to visit the Gulf early next year, amid speculation Britain could soon be involved in armed conflict with Iraq. Six vessels, including the aircraft carrier Ark Royal, a destroyer, a frigate and a submarine, will head to the area after the New Year. Several hundred British military personnel are already in the region, taking part in a major US-led war exercise co-ordinated from Qatar. The Ministry of Defence said the forthcoming mission was part of a routine, long-planned exercise which would end in the Asia-Pacific region. But the expedition could easily be diverted to take part in any US-led military action against Saddam Hussein's regime. Handy, ain't it. According to the Sunday Telegraph, in total about 2,600 military personnel will sail to the Gulf over the next few weeks. The newspaper quoted one un-named senior official as saying: "It is true this has been planned for some time but it is a very convenient cover." The paper also said an announcement on the sending of a ground force of about 20,000 British troops, led by a light armoured division, was expected within two weeks. This says to me that any attack is not expected to happen until the second new moon of 2003, 2 Feb, I believe. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 Welcome to the rumble, m'lads... |
| Posted by: Ptah 2002-12-17 06:48:04 |