ABU DHABI – Jordan has been presented with a British proposal for a forward military base along its frontier with Iraq for use in any campaign to topple President Saddam Hussein.
Arab diplomatic sources said U.S. and British military personnel have examined the frontier area for use as a forward base in an attack against Baghdad and to ensure that Iraq will be stopped in firing medium-range missiles from the western desert toward Israel. The sources said London and Washington have expressed interest in using existing Jordanian facilities to house special operations forces and aircraft to patrol western Iraq for Scud-class missile launches.
In 1991, Iraq fired 42 Al Hussein medium-range missiles toward Israel. U.S. combat aircraft failed to stop any of the launches, which targeted the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv.
The sources said Washington has assessed that Iraq is preparing to install chemical warheads on its Scud arsenal in any war against the United States. The U.S. assessment is that Iraq would fire its missiles toward Israel and Kuwait.
www.menewsline.com/stories/2002/may/05_16_3.htmlE-mail this article