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More U.S. Weaponry Being Moved to Region
Planning an Attack

ABCNEWS' John McWethy on the threat of air strikes against Iraq.
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“We’d consider the possibility of degrading his capability of manufactur- ing the weapons of mass destruction, or the means of delivering them.”
—Defense Secretary William Cohen


		How an Attack Would Happen...

U.S. Forces in the Persian Gulf Region

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Even if most of the European allies and the Gulf states did not assist, the United States has the means to attack Iraq. It could use jets based on carriers or cruise missiles aboard ships.

While the U.S. ponders an attack on Iraq, women in Baghdad offer up their prayers to end the conflict. (Jassim Mohammed/AP Photo)

By Barbara Starr
ABCNEWS.com
W A S H I N G T O N, Nov. 10 — Although the Clinton administration publicly insists that no decision has been made about whether to attack Iraq, the signs are growing that the military is preparing for some action in case it’s ordered.

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Iraq's foreign minister calls U.S. and U.K. threats of military strikes “reckless” and demands the lifting of sanctions.

Five U.N. inspection teams visit suspected nuclear sites. Iraq has halted cooperation with teams trying to find chemical and biological weapons sites.

A Gulf War bomb kills two Iraqi teenage shepherds.

The CIA says Iraq retains the key equipment and technology needed to make chemical and biological weapons and mount them on missiles. But the Defense Intelligence Agency believes Iraq's ability to revitalize chemical and biological weapons production is “limited.”

Ten more U.N. weapons inspectors will leave Iraq by Saturday. Fewer than 100 will then remain. Twenty have already left.

     Defense Secretary William Cohen today ordered the USS Enterprise to speed up its journey to the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf so that it will reach the area by Nov. 23 rather than three days later, as originally planned.
     Similarly, a group of Marine Corps amphibious ships led by the USS Belleau Wood will arrive in the region by Nov. 26. And by the end of this week, a Navy warship capable of firing Tomahawk cruise missiles will arrive in the Persian Gulf.
     One development that could portend imminent air strikes is that U.S. analysts believe Iraq is getting ready to disperse some of its surface-to-air missiles around the country.
     Until recently, the missiles had remained in storage, where spy planes could more readily keep track of them. If the missiles are indeed dispersed, they could present a more significant threat to U.S. pilots.

Clinton Consults Other Leaders
President Clinton today telephoned British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the crisis. The Israeli government is pressing the United States for Patriot missiles or other air defense material to help protect Israel from attacks by Iraq in the event of a U.S.-led air strike.
     Clinton’s top national security team met this morning at the White House to review the options for dealing with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s decision to stop cooperating with U.N. weapons inspectors last month.
     “The military option is still on the table,” Cohen said after the meeting.
     The White House is still reviewing diplomatic pressure as a way to resolve the current crisis, but there does not appear to be a lot of diplomacy under way.
     There is “nothing to negotiate,” said White House spokesman Joe Lockhart.
     Moreover, the usual diplomatic round of negotiations in a confrontation with Iraq — typically led by the Russians as well as the United Nations — do not appear to be taking place. Indeed, both Russia and France, which in the past have pressed for a lifting of sanctions, are publicly condemning Saddam’s latest tack.

An Uncomfortable Question
Now, U.S. policymakers are considering new, punishing economic sanctions on Iraq after some military action, sources say.
     Asked what air strikes against Iraq might achieve, Cohen said the goal would be to make sure Saddam, in the absence of U.N. inspections, is not reconstituting chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.
     “We’d consider the possibility of degrading his capability of manufacturing the weapons of mass destruction, or the means of delivering them, of posing a threat to the region,” the defense secretary said.
     But regardless of air strikes or diplomatic maneuvering, a key question lingers: What about Saddam’s ability to manufacture weapons of mass destruction?
     U.S. intelligence officials believe Iraq still has hidden away a vast apparatus of manufacturing plants and facilities capable of assembling chemical or biological weapons.
     And, 7 1/2 years after the end of the Gulf War, the United States still really doesn’t know exactly where those secret locations might be.

Profile of Air Strikes

If air strikes do occur in the next couple of days, analysts believe the first wave would be led by U.S. Navy warships launching Tomahawk cruise missiles against a variety of targets in Iraq, including: sites of elite Republican Guard military units, power plants, industrial facilities, airfields and Saddam Hussein’s many presidential palaces.
The goal would also be to destroy whatever facilities help keep Saddam

in power.
Those strikes could be followed by Air Force and Navy fighters and bombers dropping heavier bombs and precision guided munitions in follow-up strikes.
One weapon platform could be B-52’s bombers that could fly directly to the Persian Gulf from Minot, N.D., and Barksdale, La., and launch their airborne cruise missiles.