Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage Could U.S. Drive to Baghdad Mask Surprise Attack?
Wed March 26, 2003 05:24 AM ET
By Douglas Hamilton
DOHA (Reuters) - In the 1991 Gulf War, U.S. commander General Norman Schwarzkopf presented a plan of attack so obvious that it was laughed out of the Pentagon as "Hey diddle diddle, straight up the middle."
But on the night, he had the last laugh.
Having fooled the Iraqis occupying Kuwait into believing that his main force would attack their main force head on, he surreptitiously moved an army 120 miles to the northwest at night to set up a famous "left hook" surprise.
Could the United States and Britain now be telegraphing their intentions to conceal another shock for the Iraqis?...
Tony Blair spoke this week of a "critical moment" to come when the U.S. 5th Corps meets the Republican Guard Medina Division on the approaches to Baghdad.
By Wednesday morning, every U.S. television news anchor was talking about the upcoming clash, giving it top billing as if it were a world heavyweight championship fight.
It may be that the U.S.-led forces believe they possess such overwhelming might that they can dispense with any element of surprise and simply smash through the Medina roadblock at the hour of their choosing.
Or it may be a feint.
There is an eerie silence in the north and west of Iraq.
Little is being reported about the invasion's progress there, apart from Turkey's refusal to let 60,000 U.S. armored division troops across its territory, and Ankara's own enthusiasm to get its forces into Kurdish-held northern Iraq.
Apart from the capture of two desert airfields in western Iraq last Friday, not much has been heard about that theater either, but Kurdish sources say U.S. forces might well use the airstrips to launch an attack on the northern city of Mosul.
Wed March 26, 2003 05:24 AM ET
By Douglas Hamilton
DOHA (Reuters) - In the 1991 Gulf War, U.S. commander General Norman Schwarzkopf presented a plan of attack so obvious that it was laughed out of the Pentagon as "Hey diddle diddle, straight up the middle."
But on the night, he had the last laugh.
Having fooled the Iraqis occupying Kuwait into believing that his main force would attack their main force head on, he surreptitiously moved an army 120 miles to the northwest at night to set up a famous "left hook" surprise.
Could the United States and Britain now be telegraphing their intentions to conceal another shock for the Iraqis?...
Tony Blair spoke this week of a "critical moment" to come when the U.S. 5th Corps meets the Republican Guard Medina Division on the approaches to Baghdad.
By Wednesday morning, every U.S. television news anchor was talking about the upcoming clash, giving it top billing as if it were a world heavyweight championship fight.
It may be that the U.S.-led forces believe they possess such overwhelming might that they can dispense with any element of surprise and simply smash through the Medina roadblock at the hour of their choosing.
Or it may be a feint.
There is an eerie silence in the north and west of Iraq.
Little is being reported about the invasion's progress there, apart from Turkey's refusal to let 60,000 U.S. armored division troops across its territory, and Ankara's own enthusiasm to get its forces into Kurdish-held northern Iraq.
Apart from the capture of two desert airfields in western Iraq last Friday, not much has been heard about that theater either, but Kurdish sources say U.S. forces might well use the airstrips to launch an attack on the northern city of Mosul.
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