From: Stasi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: US: Up To 50 States Face Military Action - Guardian HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------- Other countries could face US military action Up to 50 states are on blacklist, says Cheney http://www.guardian.co.uk/waronterror/story/0,1361,596403,00.html Ewen MacAskill, diplomatic editor Saturday November 17, 2001 The Guardian The US vice-president, Dick Cheney, warned yesterday that after the Afghanistan campaign is over, America could use military action in a second wave of attacks directed against states which harbour terrorists. Mr Cheney said that up to 50 states could be targeted for a range of action, from financial and diplomatic to military, on the grounds that they had al-Qaida networks operating there. Somalia, the east African country which is a haven for al-Qaida supporters, would be high on any US list of targets, alongside Iraq. Planners in Washington and London are considering the next steps. The ease with which Kabul has fallen has encouraged hawks within the US administration who are keen to extend military action, particularly against Iraq. A Foreign Office source said: "Thinking is going on about a second phase but no decision has been taken yet and we would never speculate on it." The British view is that direct military action against another state is unlikely and that action is more likely to be in partnership with other states against internal enemies. Mr Cheney, in a rare public foray, said in an interview for the BBC's Pashtu service yesterday morning: "There are a great many places round the world where there are cells of the al-Qaida organisation. Maybe as many as 40 or 50. "We're working with the services of other countries and other governments to try to wrap those organisations up." This threat of military action serves a useful purpose for Washington, making governments more amenable to action against terrorism, either inside or outside their own boundaries. The US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, asked the Pentagon to come up with post-Afghanistan options in which they were to think the unthinkable. The resulting general command papers were reported to have been dismissed by Mr Rumsfeld for not being radical enough. As yet, no specific military target outside Afghanistan has been agreed. That would change overnight if Osama bin Laden were to turn up in a country with close ties to al-Qaida, such as Somalia. Somalia Somalia would be an easy target as it is a "failed" state that is even more run-down than Afghanistan. Dominic Simpson, an analyst with the Kroll Middle East Monitor, said he thought the next phase of the military campaign might involve Somalia. "The sense of violation would be less than if the US was moving against a government that was functioning. It could be the next base for Bin Laden if he is not caught in the meantime." Action in Somalia would offer an opportunity to settle an old score: 18 US soldiers were brutally killed there in 1993 and since then the US has been wary of committing ground troops anywhere. Neighbouring African countries claim al-Qaida has been active in Somalia since 1993. They say it was the base for bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania five years later and still has camps there. If Bin Laden was to escape from Afghanistan, Somalia is one of the few countries left that might provide him succour, though it is a harder place to hide in. German forces have served in Somalia before and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung recently reported a plan for a joint US-German operation in which German troops would take Berbera, with the US taking the harbour and airport. The US-German force could operate in alliance with one of the Somali factions or with the neighbouring Ethiopia. The main Somali group identified by Washington as close to al-Qaida is al-Itihaad al-Islamiya (Islamic Unity), which is trying to take over a north-eastern region. Yemen Yemen is home to several militant groups linked to al-Qaida. The remit of the government does not extend into tribal areas where such groups have their camps. The danger was reinforced last year when al-Qaida operatives successfully launched an attack on the USS Cole from a dinghy. The Yemeni president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has been invited to the White House this month, suggesting the US wants to work in conjunction with the existing government. Iraq Mr Rumsfeld has described as significant meetings in Prague between Mohammed Atta, a suspected leader of the September 11 hijackers, and an Iraqi intelligence official. However, a firm connection between al-Qaida and Iraq has proved elusive. Indeed, Bin Laden's people have fewer footholds in Iraq than they do in Britain. However, Saddam Hussein, is regarded by Washington as one of the most dangerous leaders in the world, with potential access to weapons of mass destruction, and that is increasingly being regarded as sufficient justification for war. For many in the US administration, it is unfinished business. Britain, though cooperating with the US in bombing Iraq in southern and northern no-fly zones in the past decade, is opposed to extending the war to Iraq because of the lack of a firm link. The test of US intentions could come next month when the UN security council discusses sanctions against Iraq. Saddam's refusal to allow in UN weapons inspectors could turn out to be a casus belli. Asia Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia, which all have problems with al-Qaida groups within their borders and with Muslim militants in general, have agreed to combined operations. The US, which has a good relationship with these countries, yesterday expressed a desire to participate in any such operations. It is especially close to the Philippines, and has offered it a generous military package, with an emphasis on counter-terrorism. Paul Wolfowitz, the US deputy defence secretary, recently told the Hong Kong-based Far Eastern Economic Review that he saw a clear need to confront al-Qaida in Indonesia: "Going after al- Qaida in Indonesia is not something that should wait until after al-Qaida has been uprooted from Afghanistan." _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
