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http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/sep2002-daily/24-09-2002/world/w4.htm Daily Jang (Pakistan) September 24, 2002 US Central Command staff may stay on in Qatar after war games -"A core of officers and soldiers taking part in the exercises could stay, along with their equipment, in Qatar." -He added the exercises would also count 400 foreign officiers from Nato countries. The war games come as Doha has signaled it would consider an eventual request from the United States to use its territory as a launchpad for a strike on Iraq, amid speculation that the US national security leadership was considering moving the entire Tampa, Florida-based Central Command to Qatar. DOHA: Some of the 600 headquarters staff the US Central Command that will head to Qatar at the end of November for war games could stay on longer in the Gulf emirate, US diplomatic sources here said on Monday. "A core of officers and soldiers taking part in the exercises could stay, along with their equipment, in Qatar," a diplomat said on condition of anonymity about the US military leadership responsible for US forces in the Middle East and South and Central Asia. "Prepared three months ago," the biannual "Internal Look 03" military exercise is aimed at "evaluating the capability of the Central Command to operate in a country coming under its sphere of action," the diplomat said. The exercises would also allow the Command to "give the order of a deployment if needs be," in case an armed conflict breaks out during the war games, he said. He added the exercises would also count 400 foreign officiers from Nato countries. The war games come as Doha has signaled it would consider an eventual request from the United States to use its territory as a launchpad for a strike on Iraq, amid speculation that the US national security leadership was considering moving the entire Tampa, Florida-based Central Command to Qatar. Unless sanctioned under a UN resolution, Saudi Arabia, which served as a base for US-led coalition forces in the 1991 Gulf War, has indicated it will not allow military strikes against Iraq from its territory even though it hosts more than 5,000 US troops. Kuwait, which was occupied by Iraq for seven months until its liberation in the Gulf War and also continues to host US troops, has so far said it too does not want to serve as a launchpad for a fresh US offensive. The United States has over the past year upgraded the sprawling Al-Udeid air base in Qatar as an alternative to the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, where most US forces stationed in the kingdom are based. The Al-Udeid desert base 35 kilometres south of Doha boasts a 14,000-foot runway and enough ramp space and shelter to house an air expeditionary force of 30 to 40 fighter jets. Currently, it is used by US tanker refueling planes and air transports. For the exercises, the command will move and test a new deployable headquarters consisting of several modular buildings designed for command and control and communications activities. Although Central Command has held command post exercises every two years since 1990, this is the first involving a move of personnel and equipment to the Gulf. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo! http://sbc.yahoo.com --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
