US Plans Attack Between July And September

WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The Bush administration is believed to be planning to launch a three-month military campaign on Iraq during the summer.

Western diplomats, intelligence officials as well as congressional sources said the administration has relayed its intention to launch an attack on the regime of President Saddam Hussein by August. They said President George Bush has outlined plans for a staged offensive that would first seek to assassinate Saddam and his key cohorts.

The U.S. attack, the diplomats and sources said, envisions a lightning offensive against Baghdad and the capture of key Iraqi military installations. They said the move would seek to kill Saddam or drive him out of Baghdad to eliminate the prospect of bloody resistance in the Iraqi capital.

If this doesn't work, the diplomats and sources said, the United States would launch stage two of the military campaign. This would involve heavy air attacks on Iraqi military installations. Stage three calls for a ground attack