Does this include Iran and Syria????A US failure in Iraq is not an option, says US defense secretary Robert Gates. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warns US will take action against any country seeking to destabilize IraqJanuary 11, 2007, 6:21 PM (GMT+02:00)
Both secretaries with US army chief Gen. Peter Pace talked to Washington correspondents in a follow-up appearance to the Bush policy speech Wednesday night, Jan. 10, before Rice set out on Middle East tour.
She said Iran and Syria must end their destabilizing behavior' in the region and that the US would defend its interests and those of its friends and allies in the region.
January 6, 2007, 5:59 PM (GMT+02:00)
DEBKAfile's military sources: Adm. William Fallon, who takes over the Central Command from Gen. John Abizaid, is qualified for offensive operations, especially in naval and aerial combat. The new Iraq strategy which the US president is due to unveil next week - and is geared to victory rather than exit - could bring US troops into clashes with Iran and/or Syria in the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea or the eastern Mediterranean.
More about this in DEBKAfile Exclusive Report below.
January 7, 2007, 11:33 PM (GMT+02:00)
They are part of the USS Bataan Strike group carrying 2,000 Marines and equipped to insert forces ashore by helicopter, landing craft and amphibious vehicles. The Baatan is equipped with helicopters and fast hovercraft capable of landing thousands of Marines on beaches and providing the landing with cover.
More...January 12, 2007, 6:23 PM (GMT+02:00)
The US military spokesman said the carrier USS John C. Stennis will join the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower strike group will be deployed in the Persian Gulf for a period of months. The second carrier will not just be showing force, but be actively involved in combat operations and providing air support across the region.' US-Iranian tensions are mounting over Washington's charges of Iran's disruptive interference in Iraq, which were spelled out by President George W. Bush Wednesday. US forces detained six Iranian nationals in two raids in Irbil, northern Iraq Thursday.
January 12, 2007, 7:23 PM (GMT+02:00)
Kurdish officials report the American raiders came in helicopters. They disarmed the security guards, broke through the gate and detained six men. One was later released. Iraqi foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari reported a second, unexplained incident at Irbil airport, claiming US forces tried to detain people until Kurdish troops intervened.
Syria:
Middle East peace not currently possible
January 10, 2007, 4:29 PM (GMT+02:00)
DEBKAfile: This vow does not limit US military operations to Iraqi territory. Bush stated: I recently ordered the deployment of additional carrier strike group in the region. We will…deploy Patriot air defense systems to reassure our friends and allies.'
This indicates that the US expects Iran and Syria to retaliate with missile attacks on US targets across the Middle East and against friends' such as Turkey, the Arab Gulf states and Israel.
DEBKAfile: American forces set out to capture Baghdad for second time in four years
January 10, 2007, 9:36 PM (GMT+02:00)
The fresh US-Iraqi military operation to subdue and stabilize the Iraqi capital was launched earlier this week against the Sunni-al Qaeda hotbed of Haifa Street. It is at the core of the new Bush plan for Iraq.
The president faces congressional opposition to adding more US troops in Iraq, but his final bid for a successful culmination of the four-year war is already underway.
Read more about this final throw in DEBKAfile's Exclusive Report and Military Analysis below.
Maranatha!
Deborah
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