Pentagon orders 62,000 soldiers to head for Gulf

The Pentagon ordered 62,000 troops to head for the Gulf at the weekend, accelerating a military build-up designed to enable a full-scale invasion of Iraq within six weeks. The troops were ordered into action in two waves, with the final deployment order, on Saturday, directing 27,000 marines, airborne infantry and air force strike units into the Gulf region.

Pentagon officials aim to have at least 100,000 men in the region by the end of the month – a force which could, if needed, launch a lightning strike on Iraq.

But military officials have privately said that they would prefer not to launch any offensive before mid-February to give newly arrived troops the chance to establish themselves.

Some U.S. officials have also argued that any offensive should wait until mid-February, and the end of the annual pilgrimage to Makkah, for fear of offending Islamic sensibilities worldwide.

U.S. allies, including Britain, last week played down the significance of a key meeting on January 27, when United Nations inspectors will present a report on Iraqi disarmament to the Security Council.

But a senior U.S. official told the Washington Post Sunday: "People who are saying that the 27th is not an important day don't know what they are talking about. It is a very important day (marking) the beginning of a final phase."

America's full-scale battle plan calls for more than 150,000 soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen – a force which should be in place, with its equipment, within four to six weeks.

A senior military official told the New York Times: "By mid to late February we'll be in the best position to provide the president immediate flexible options to respond."

Until now the American build-up has taken place mainly out of sight, with ships loaded with tanks, heavy equipment and ammunition quietly heading to the Gulf for months.

That changed on Christmas Eve, when Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld signed orders to deploy a first major wave of 25,000 troops, including 11,000 desert trained men.

Late on Friday, Rumsfeld ordered 35,000 troops, half of them marines, to deploy. At the same time, U.S. marine commanders imposed a rare, corps-wide ban on discharges or transfers, effectively locking all 175,000 active-duty marines into the service.

The last time such an order was issued was in 1991, at the time of the Gulf war. Up to 75,000 marines can expect to be involved against Iraq, their outgoing commander, Gen James L Jones, said last week.

Less than 24 hours later Rumsfeld sent 27,000 additional personnel to the Gulf. They include thousands of marines, an army airborne infantry brigade. A squadron of U.S. air force F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighters and two squadrons of F-16CJ radar-jamming fighters were also sent.