arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

By Christopher Reilly
YellowTimes.org Journalist (United States)
(YellowTimes.org) – On March 28, 2002 YellowTimes.org released a news report titled, "U.S. armed forces surrounding Iraq under veil of secrecy." This report claimed that "according to anonymous U.S. military sources, [new U.S.] airbases will be in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait" to be used in a future attack on Iraq.

On April 11, 2002, the Pentagon confirmed part of the YellowTimes.org report. Now, more than three months later, the Bush administration has finally come close to confirming all of the claims expressed in the March 28 YellowTimes.org news report.

On April 08, 2002, the International Herald Tribune confirmed most of the YellowTimes.org report, stating that the Pentagon had been moving military equipment, planes and other military materials out of its Saudi Arabian air base. The materials, according to the Tribune, were destined for bases in Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, along with Oman, for possible use against Saddam Hussein, the president of Iraq.

The materials were moved out of Saudi Arabia in deference to rising Saudi sentiments against the U.S. using Saudi Arabian territory as a staging area for air and ground assaults against other Middle Eastern countries.

The U.S. war materials were also moved, as explained in the March 28 YellowTimes.org report, to "create a neat arc of American firepower – from the wastes of eastern Jordan to the Persian Gulf."

In the April 11 YellowTimes.org article, titled "Pentagon confirms surrounding Iraq with military bases," the publication reported that while the Pentagon admitted to building bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, it "still cannot be confirmed that the Bush administration is building an airbase in Jordan. Nonetheless, General Tommy Franks, head of the U.S. Central Command, recently told Pentagon reporters that, over the past 18 months, munitions have been covertly moved from Saudi Arabia to undisclosed areas in the region."

According to YellowTimes.org, the information about construction of an airbase in Jordan came from military personnel who were "retasked for new missions in the Middle East." Back in mid-March, when the personnel were being called for duty, "logistics and communications components [were] already en route or being prepared for deployment from active duty, Reserve, and National Guard units."

Now, more than three months later, the New York Times reports that "signs [of] military cooperation between Washington and Jordan [are] increasing." The July 09, 2002 Times article, titled "U.S. considers wary Jordan as base for an attack on Iraq," by Eric Schmitt, also confirms the YellowTimes.org claim of a "neat arc of American firepower." The Times explains that, "Using Jordanian bases would enable the Pentagon to attack Iraq from the west, as well as from the north via Turkey and the south via several Persian Gulf states." These "several Persian Gulf states," as pointed out in the March 28 YellowTimes.org article, and subsequently confirmed in the April 11 article, are comprised of Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

When combining the YellowTimes.org report, the International Herald Tribune report of April 08, and the New York Times report of July 09, it becomes evident that the Bush administration may have completed its "arc of American firepower," by creating bases of operations in at least seven Middle Eastern countries; Jordan, Turkey, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. Apparently, it is from such an arc of power that the U.S. plans to launch its attack against the nation of Iraq.

The New York Times article does not, however, state for a fact that the U.S. is using, building, or improving air bases in Jordan. In fact, Jordan's foreign minister, Marwan J. Muasher, claimed in a telephone interview with the Times that, "Our public position is the same as our private position. Jordan will not be used as a launching pad, and we do not have any U.S. forces in Jordan."

Despite Muasher's statement, Jordan's private position may be very different from his public assertions. The Bush administration has already requested $25 million from Congress as part of a spending bill to provide Jordan with military equipment and "upgrades for land and air base defense," according to a congressional aide quoted in the Times.

The Times also reports that the U.S. military's Central Command, which is responsible for planning military operations, has "rated the construction projects in Jordan among its highest priorities…[with aid going] toward lengthening runways at two Jordanian air bases to accommodate larger planes." Two weeks ago General Tommy Franks, who is the head of the Central Command, met with Jordanian King Abdullah along with the Jordanian defense minister and the senior military officer. Considering Franks' earlier statement confirming the covert movement of military supplies out of Saudi Arabia to "undisclosed areas in the region," Jordan may very well turn out to be a staging area for the Bush administration's well publicized plan to assault the nation of Iraq late in 2002 or early in 2003.

What the Times would not print, the Guardian did. In a July 7 article titled "US 'to attack Iraq via Jordan,' " the Guardian writes that "eye-witnesses claim preparations are under way at the Muafaq Salti air base in Azraq, 50 miles east of Amman on the road to Baghdad."

The Guardian reported further, saying that "Although Marwan Moasher, the Jordanian Foreign Minister, denied the presence of any American troops in his country, government sources confirmed that major manoeuvres involving the American and Jordanian forces took place in March."

A buildup, in support of recently disclosed administration plans to assault Iraq from several fronts may explain why so many U.S. logistic service members are being called to duty in the Middle East, as reported in the YellowTimes.org on March 28.