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| Iraq |
| Sandstorms hit Kuwait |
| 2003-03-19 |
| Severe sandstorms have hit parts of the Kuwaiti desert reducing visibility to a few metres where US forces are poised to invade Iraq. The second storm in a week has has cut visibility down to approximately 500 metres in the capital and closer to 200 metres in the desert. The storms, which are not uncommon in the region, are expected to start subsiding this evening and weather over Kuwait should be clear from tomorrow onwards. If the storm continued, it could delay the start of a ground assault and limit the ability of pilots to carry out an accurate bombing campaign, risking civilian deaths. Troops have complained that they are repeatedly having to clear sand from their equipment which could hinder their effectiveness in an invasion. However, it would have some benefits for the allied troops as it cools the desert and blinds the opposing side. 'Blinding' could only help the enemy |
| Posted by:Bulldog |
| #6 Den beste at USS Clueless posts a letter where the writer thinks we deliberately picked a date near the full moon to allow us to see the Iraquis surrendering. Weathermen only TRY to predict the weather. General Patton, during the Battle of the Bulge, knew Who to ask to get the weather changed... |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-03-19 09:32:16 |
| #5 My major concern is the weather. The longer we wait the worse the weather will gets now. That is the main reason why the US is not prepared to wait another month. The 3th March was the right date and we missed it. No moon. |
| Posted by: bernardz 2003-03-19 08:24:07 |
| #4 I hope the weather is easier to predict in Iraq than Western PA--or maybe their metereologists are just better than our local ones! |
| Posted by: Dar Steckelberg 2003-03-19 08:12:07 |
| #3 Gosh...what do you know? Just about the time the 48 hour window is up...the sandstorms will die down. God bless them, but I bet the weather forecasters are going to lose some sleep tonight. Fortunately they are really GOOD these days!! |
| Posted by: becky 2003-03-19 06:34:17 |
| #2 Doesn't sandstorm = increased mechanical unreliability? With a longer trek involved this time, won't things be held back till it clears? |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-03-19 04:44:54 |
| #1 GW1, the left hook's first contact was in a sandstorm. Downside is that now the Iraqis know that we're willing to operate in the middle of a sandstorm. Crazy Americans. |
| Posted by: Dishman 2003-03-19 04:21:27 |