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UK set to mobilise 15,000 troops for Iraq war: Report
London, Nov 10: Britain will begin mobilising a fighting force of 15,000 troops this week to take part in a land war in Iraq if diplomatic efforts to disarm Saddam Hussein fail, the Sunday Telegraph reported.
London, Nov 10: Britain will begin mobilising a fighting force of 15,000 troops this week to take part in a land war in Iraq if diplomatic efforts to disarm Saddam Hussein fail, the Sunday Telegraph reported.
The British force will comprise up to 200 Challenger battle tanks, and at least two squadrons, about 150 men, from special forces will also be placed on standby, the paper said.
An official announcement of the mobilisation, which will include warships, submarines and warplanes, is expected to be made on Wednesday, the right-wing weekly added. The forces would be instructed to make plans to move to the region, most probably to Kuwait, but they would not receive final orders to deploy.
The United Nations Security Council gave Iraq a seven-day ultimatum on Friday to agree to a powerfully enhanced weapons inspection regime, warning it of "serious consequences" if it failed to disarm. Defence officials told the Sunday Telegraph that the unanimity of the new UN resolution would act as a "trigger" for the British government to begin the first stages of a full-scale mobilisation.
"We will be taking decisions on troops within days," a senior government official told the paper.
The moves were necessary to convince Saddam of the "lethal" consequences of not fully co-operating with the UN resolution to disarm, but did not necessarily mean war was inevitable, the official said.
On the domestic front, the Independent on Sunday reported that Prime Minister Tony Blair was to warn the public that they would be directly involved in the battle against international terror. In a speech Monday in London, Blair would appeal to people to be on guard against the threat of attacks by al-Qaeda -- the network blamed for the September 11 strikes on the United States -- calculated to cause many civilian casualties, the paper said.
While calling for vigilance, the prime minister was also concerned that an over-reaction could "do the terrorists' work for them" by bringing parts of everyday life to a halt.
Although there was no proven link between Saddam Hussein's regime and al-Qaeda, military action against an Arab state could inspire revenge attacks, the Independent on Sunday added.
Defence sources told the paper that the current alarm was caused not by one "specific" intelligence report, but a series from around the world which all pointed to the possibility that al-Qaeda may be about to strike again.
Bureau Report
An official announcement of the mobilisation, which will include warships, submarines and warplanes, is expected to be made on Wednesday, the right-wing weekly added. The forces would be instructed to make plans to move to the region, most probably to Kuwait, but they would not receive final orders to deploy.
The United Nations Security Council gave Iraq a seven-day ultimatum on Friday to agree to a powerfully enhanced weapons inspection regime, warning it of "serious consequences" if it failed to disarm. Defence officials told the Sunday Telegraph that the unanimity of the new UN resolution would act as a "trigger" for the British government to begin the first stages of a full-scale mobilisation.
"We will be taking decisions on troops within days," a senior government official told the paper.
The moves were necessary to convince Saddam of the "lethal" consequences of not fully co-operating with the UN resolution to disarm, but did not necessarily mean war was inevitable, the official said.
On the domestic front, the Independent on Sunday reported that Prime Minister Tony Blair was to warn the public that they would be directly involved in the battle against international terror. In a speech Monday in London, Blair would appeal to people to be on guard against the threat of attacks by al-Qaeda -- the network blamed for the September 11 strikes on the United States -- calculated to cause many civilian casualties, the paper said.
While calling for vigilance, the prime minister was also concerned that an over-reaction could "do the terrorists' work for them" by bringing parts of everyday life to a halt.
Although there was no proven link between Saddam Hussein's regime and al-Qaeda, military action against an Arab state could inspire revenge attacks, the Independent on Sunday added.
Defence sources told the paper that the current alarm was caused not by one "specific" intelligence report, but a series from around the world which all pointed to the possibility that al-Qaeda may be about to strike again.
Bureau Report