Daily Update
An online roundup of a post-Sept. 11 world.
Iraq: As the clock ticks, Hussein defies
Turkey: Parliament to allow US air campaign?
UN: Blix's last stand?
Steady beat to war becomes drum roll
The clock is ticking. As US and British armies gather at the Kuwait-Iraq border awaiting strike orders from President Bush, Baghdad is hunkering down, and
Saddam Hussein remains defiant. Continuing to make what the US has called his "final mistake,"
Hussein mocked Bush's ultimatum on Iraqi television while wearing a military uniform for the first time since the 1991 Gulf War.
Iraqi officials rallied around Hussein Wednesday with some Iraqi parliamentarians reportedly chanting, "We'll sacrifice our blood and souls for Saddam." As
MSNBC reports, some warned the US would face "unexpected" reprisals if it followed through with its pledge to invade. Many fear these resprisals could be of the chemical variety.
The Christian Science Monitor reports that "
Hussein's final poker hand may pack a chemical or biological 'wild card.'" As Iraq flashes its military trump card, Kuwaiti citizens are dashing to buy gas masks and duct tape, according to
The Monitor.
But, while Hussein remains defiant, the
Guardian reports that Iraq's deputy prime minister,
Tariq Aziz, may have defected to the Kurds in northern Iraq. Britain's Foreign Office is reportedly investigating these rumors, which one minister says came from a Bulgarian source. Although the
Guardian reports that unnamed officials in Washington have disputed the rumors, they say that the deputy director for the Kurdish Democratic Party's Sulaymaniyah branch in northern Iraq said Aziz is "in KDP-controlled land."
Meanwhile, US President Bush is meeting with top advisers on war plans. He is due to meet with his national security team, call British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and meet with Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge Wednesday. The 48 hours that Bush gave Hussein to leave Iraq will expire at around 8 p.m. EST Wednesday night (4 a.m. Tuesday in Baghdad). Bombs could drop at any point after that time. But, according to
CNN, senior US officials said that there may be a "
tactical advantage" to waiting before ordering an assualt.
As the
Christian Science Monitor reports, the
US-led battle plans may hinge on several new tactics reflecting a different set of objectives from the first Gulf War.
From the first day special operations forces will be active destroying Scud missiles, seizing chemical weapons caches, securing oilfields, and capturing Baath Party leaders. A brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division has been charged with accomplishing unconventional missions, probably in Baghdad. Electronic and information warfare will suppress enemy sensors and communications. Ground forces will land deep inside the country rather than advancing along predictable axes in a well-defined front.
If people are tempted to think that US soldiers on the frontlines of an imminent war may be getting nervous, reports are suggesting that they should think again. As
The Christian Science Monitor's military correspondent reports from Kuwait, confidence among
commanders and troops is so high that it borders on bravado in some cases. One Army general reportedly joked with his soldiers about having "visions of getting into some gilded bathtub with captured Republican Guards fanning [him]." Ben Arnoldy of
csmonitor.com finds
similar casual confidence running strong among the Air Force's 332nd Expeditionary Group at a US air base in Kuwait. Troops anxious to start war so they can go home were playing volleyball and talking about an upcoming talent show the day after Bush's 48 hour ultimatum.
There's every evidence that this war in Iraq will be the most well-reported war in history, but how will people weed through confusing, and possibly conflicting, reports to determine the success or failure of the initial US-led attacks?
Slate offers some advice in this regard, along with a little
sobriety check on the accuracy of war reporting. First on the list of
Slate's "How To Tell If We're Winning in Iraq" primer is to "ignore all first-night commentary." In the initial confusion and cover of darkness it will indeed be difficult to judge the initial effectiveness of the bomb raids. The "score card" also discusses other key determining factors, such as Iraq's ability after the first day of attacks to fire Scud missiles, the battle for control the important southern port city of Basra, whether the ground war has started, and where Saddam Hussein is.
Turkey to vote on US air campaign
With a public overwhelmingly opposed to any war in Iraq,
Turkey may yet succumb to US arm-twisting and allow US forces to use its airspace. Just weeks ago the Turkish parliament rejected the US offer of up to $6 billion in grants or up to $20 billion in loans to allow 62,000 US troops to use Turkish bases. But now government spokesman Cemil Cicek says the Turkish parliament will likely vote on whether to allow US forces to its airspace on Thursday. The government will not immediately seek approval from the legislature for US troops to use Turkish bases, however. As
The Christian Science Monitor reports,
Turkish airspace will be crucial for US war efforts, as it allows for missions to be launched from aircraft carriers cruising the Mediterranean Sea.
Mr. Cicek also said on Wednesday that the US has agreed "in principle" to allow Turkish troops into northern Iraq to set up a buffer zone of sorts near the border between Turkey and the Kurdish area of northern Iraq. Although US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said Tuesday that all parties in northern Iraq have agreed to cooperate fully with the US-led coalition in maintaining the status quo, Turkish officials in Ankara remain useasy. One of the biggest fears of Turkish officials is that Iraqi Kurds will seize oil fields in northern Iraq and later use that as leverage to create an independent territory. This may inspire a rebellion among Kurds in southeastern Turkey
Diplomacy: A final shot, or just following protocol?
Despite the fact that war may be hours away, Hans
Blix is still giving to the Security Council his report on what Iraq must do to account for weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The foreign ministers of France, Germany, Russia, and several other nations will be there. But, British Foreign Minister Jack Straw and US Secretary of State Colin Powell see no reason to show up. Ahead of the meeting, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin called Mr. Straw to express that he was
"shocked and saddened" at the verbal lashing France has received from British leaders accusing its veto threat of spoiling the chances of a diplomatic solution to the Iraq crisis.
Also...
•
War may reshape global order (
The Christian Science Monitor)
•
Bugging devices found at EU (
The BBC)
•
In a hushed Baghdad, a family waits (
The Christian Science Monitor)
•
Saddam likely to go underground (
The Washington Times)
•
A Vietnam War news corps veteran offers some timely advice (
Television Week)
•
Kurds in front-line cities flee - and hope (
The Christian Science Monitor)
• Feedback appreciated. E-mail
Matthew Clark.
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