The Militant (logo)  
   Vol.66/No.47           December 16, 2002  
 
 
U.S. sets up Iraq war
command in Qatar
(front page)
 
BY BRIAN WILLIAMS  
Reinforcing their domination of Iraqi air space as Washington assembles military forces for an invasion of Iraq, U.S. and British jets bombed an oil-processing plant in the south of the country December 1. Residents in the area called Reuters wire service to report that at least four people had been killed and 27 wounded.

Officials with Iraq’s Southern Oil Co. said the planes fired two rockets, hitting offices and people passing by on a nearby road. The attack extended the reach of the bombing raids, which have been targeting the country’s air defense facilities.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) is moving some 600 battle planning staff to the Gulf state of Qatar. The opening days of the Internal Look exercise the officers will lead coincide with the December 8 deadline set by the U.S. and British-crafted United Nations Security Council resolution directing Iraq to submit a list of its "weapons of mass destruction," as defined by the imperialist-dominated council.

Gen. Thomas Franks, commander-in-chief of the Florida-based Centcom, will head the Qatar-based exercise, along with Army, Marine, Air Force, Navy, and Special Operations commanders in the area.

"We are going to train the way we might fight," said Vice Adm. Timothy Keating, commander of the Fifth Fleet and the top Navy commander in the region.

When the exercise concludes in mid-December, the Pentagon will have in place its forward operating headquarters ready for use in war. This military infrastructure will include a new command center at the Al Salyliyah base. Completed by U.S. forces in August 2000, Al Salyliyah includes 36 acres of warehouses that store military vehicles and other equipment for an Army brigade.

In addition to expanding the role of Al Salyliyah and refurbishing the Al Udeid air base, the Pentagon is also storing ammunition at a "secret facility in the desert" of Qatar, reported the New York Times.

The willingness of the Qatari government to openly cooperate with these extensive military operations is one reason the country is playing an increasingly prominent part in the buildup to war. "The country is stable, and they have welcomed us--those are two key characteristics," said Centcom’s Maj. John Robinson.

The military spokesman also made it clear that the hundreds of officers are there not just for the Internal Look exercises, but on open-ended assignment. "It’s not clear what will happen," he said. "Our fate is tied to what takes place with the weapons inspectors in Iraq."

The UN "inspections" have moved rapidly into full gear, targeting industrial and scientific plants throughout the country on the grounds of alleged "dual use" of their facilities. Among the places the "inspectors" have visited during the first few days are an animal foot-and-mouth disease vaccine plant, a graphite products factory, a science research center, and an engine-testing facility.

The London-based Financial Times noted December 3 that U.S. president George Bush has used "increasingly bellicose language" against Baghdad as he seeks to undercut the impact on public opinion of the Iraqi authorities’ cooperative stance toward the UN teams.

"A regime that fires upon American and British pilots is not taking the path of compliance," Bush said, repeating the standard pretext for the bombing raids. "A regime that sends letters filled with protests and falsehoods is not taking the path of compliance," he added--a reference to Iraq’s diplomatic denials of possession of "weapons of mass destruction."

Vice President Richard Cheney left no doubt of Washington’s intentions. "The demands of the world will be met, or action will be unavoidable," he told a National Guard audience in Colorado December 2.

In one sign of the widespread popular opposition in the region to the U.S.-led war moves, some 10,000 people marched in Istanbul December 1 to oppose the threatened invasion. "We will not be America’s soldiers," they chanted. Turkish newspapers have reported that Washington has asked Ankara to provide between 17,000 and 40,000 troops to assist in the invasion.

"This is America’s war and it is going to be waged even though thousands, tens of thousands will be killed," said Ersan Salman to an Associated Press reporter in Istanbul. The rally came a few days before a visit to Turkey by U.S. deputy secretary of defense Paul Wolfowitz and British foreign secretary Jack Straw.

The Pentagon is looking to expand Turkey’s role beyond the provision of air bases. The Wall Street Journal reported December 3 that the country could "provide a launching pad for some lighter U.S. ground units that could be flown into Iraq via helicopter or cargo jets.... Without Turkey’s support, an invasion would have to move in solely through Kuwait."

With the backing of its British ally, Washington is pressuring Berlin, Paris, and other European powers to drop their opposition to Turkey’s bid for membership in the European Union. "History suggests that a European Union that welcomes Turkey will be even stronger...and more richly diverse," said Wolfowitz on December 2, adding that the decision "is, of course, Europe’s to make."

The December 3 New York Times reported that former French president Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, "reflecting a sentiment not uncommon in Western Europe," said last month that Turkey was "not a European country" and that inviting it into the European Union would mean "the end of Europe."  
 
 
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