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| Iraq |
| 1,000 more British troops fly out to Gulf |
| 2003-02-19 |
| Another huge wave of British troops flew out to the Gulf today as the military build-up ahead of a possible war against Iraq neared completion. Around 1,000 members of 16 Air Assault Brigade, including paratroopers, infantry and support units, left RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on three overnight flights. The troops, who are mainly from the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, which is based in Colchester, are expected to be among the last deployed to the Gulf. They will join around 40,000 other British military personnel who have been deployed over the last few weeks. Equipped with light artillery, mortars and rifles, the 16 Air Assault Brigade is seen as an ideal force to secure bridges and passages into the heart of the country. According to the Ministry of Defence, it "can deploy and fight across enormous depth to secure a point of entry to a theatre of operations", opening up access to heavier formations. Military experts expect the brigade to be dropped to the west of Basra by helicopter to prevent a counter-attack in the event of an amphibious assault on Iraq. The troops could also be sent in to destroy launch sites for Iraqi missiles which could be used to attack Israel. A spokeswoman for the MoD refused to confirm exactly whereabouts in the Gulf region the troops would be landing. Tick..tick...tick.. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #6 This is looking more and more like a typical engineering project: It will be at least 2 weeks away until the day it starts. |
| Posted by: Dishman 2003-02-19 23:25:29 |
| #5 When? Assuming that all logistical material is in place, and there are no diplomatic obstacles, and the Iraqis have not delivered regime change, there are numerous reasons why March 23 is the ideal date. Notwithstanding Iraq, that would also be a good time to leave Syria. |
| Posted by: Anon 2003-02-19 19:20:05 |
| #4 "Waho Mohammed!" Good luck, good hunting, and get home safe. |
| Posted by: Mike 2003-02-19 10:53:57 |
| #3 Yup, they have to decide between the Light Forces plan, the Heavy Forces plan, the southern front, northern front, two fronts, western desert special forces front, vertical insertion directly into Baghdad front, amphibious assault, air assault on the oil fields, the air bombing first plan, the combined bombing/invasion at the same time plan, plus trying to keep track of the Kurds, Turks, Iranians, etc. Throw in not trusting your own generals and the generals being afraid to tell Sammy the truth about the status of their troops for fear of being shot and you got a problem. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-02-19 10:15:04 |
| #2 Since the Iraqi military is primarily run by Saddam and his son, YouBoy, all these plans serve as a giant deception. Even a serious planning staff would have to quail at the range of options that exist, and the leaks have Saddam wondering and worrying about everything. Oh, except Patton coming ashore at Calais. He's sure of that. |
| Posted by: Chuck 2003-02-19 09:14:26 |
| #1 "Military experts expect the brigade to be dropped to the west of Basra by helicopter to prevent a counter-attack in the event of an amphibious assault on Iraq." "A spokeswoman for the MoD refused to confirm exactly whereabouts in the Gulf region the troops would be landing." Let me get this right - Saddam's not to know where they're playing ping pong for the next couple of weeks, but it's OK to shout off about where their insertion points are likely to be. I hope someone's coordinating all this leaked info. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-02-19 09:05:10 |