U.S. Army soldiers ‘getting ready’ at a camp in Kuwait

WASHINGTON, January 31 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The United States moved Thursday, January 30, to reduce its diplomatic presence in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia due to heightened fears of attacks and other security concerns as anti U.S. sentiments are increasing because of an upcoming U.S. attack on Iraq.

In separate travel warnings for the two Gulf states, the State Department authorized non-essential U.S. diplomats and the families of all personnel at its embassies in Kuwait City and Riyadh and consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran to leave at government expense, Agence France-Presse (AFP) said.

The warnings also advised U.S. citizens about the risks of visiting Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and suggested in varying degrees that Americans already there consider leaving.

Americans in Kuwait "should evaluate rigorously their own security situation and are strongly urged to consider departing," the warning said.

‘Consider Departing’

Americans in Saudi Arabia were also told to rigorously review their security and "consider departing" especially as the upcoming annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca that will limit the number of available seats on flights in and out of the country.

While the departures are not mandatory, the move is a clear signal of Washington's growing concern about the security situation in the Gulf following the murder last week of a U.S. civilian in Kuwait.

The Kuwait announcement had been expected last week in the immediate aftermath of the shooting death of Michael Rene Pouliot -- the first attack in the emirate to target a U.S. civilian after a spate of shootings involving U.S. forces there last year that killed one and wounded two others.

That move was delayed as the State Department briefly considered authorizing its non-essential personnel to leave all countries in the Gulf, Middle East and North Africa citing ongoing threats from al-Qaeda, according to the officials.

The department eventually decided to limit the departure program to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, where the U.S. has military basis from which the United States may launch attack on Iraq.

Although neither of Thursday's announcements mention the possibility of conflict, their release follows a steady ratcheting up in pressure from U.S. President George W. Bush to attack Iraq and plans to “convince” the United Nations of the need for military action.

Full Force And Might

In his annual "State of the Union" address to Congress on Tuesday, January 28, Bush announced he would send Secretary of State Colin Powell to the UN Security Council next week to present the long awaited new evidence of Baghdad's alleged banned weapons programs in a bid to drum up support for a possible war.

Bush also vowed that if war with Iraq became necessary, the United States would fight with its "full force and might" and prevail.

Should conflict occur, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia will both be front-line states and likely points from which the United States will launch attack.

There are about 35,000 U.S. troops now in Kuwait as a U.S. military buildup gathers momentum with the continual arrival of combat troops and boatloads of tanks and other materiel.

Those numbers have steadily climbed since U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld signed a slew of deployment orders earlier this month that are expected to boost U.S. force levels in the region above 150,000 by mid-February 2003.

Thousands of American troops and civilians are also now in Saudi Arabia.

It was not immediately clear how many non-essential diplomats and family members would take advantage of the authorized departure programs.

Rumsfeld Meets with His Top Commanders

Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld huddled Thursday with top U.S. commanders for wide-ranging talks that were expected to cover Iraq and U.S. military operations ‘worldwide’, defense officials said.

Rumsfeld met for most of the day at Bolling Air Force Base with the generals and admirals who command U.S. troops in five regions around the world and four supporting commands.

Commanders typically give presentations on their areas at the two-day meetings but the looming war in the Gulf and its impact on military operations in other parts of the world was expected to color the sessions, officials said.

Among the participants was Army General Tommy Franks, the commander of U.S. forces in the Gulf.

’Warning Before Bombing’

Meanwhile, am aircraft on Thursday dropped nearly 500,000 leaflets over populated areas of southern Iraq, bearing threats of more air strikes on fiber optic communications sites and warnings to civilians to avoid military areas, the U.S. military said.

The leaflets were dropped over the southern towns of An Nasiriyah, As Samaway, Qal At Sukkar, Basra, and Um Qasr.

Some of the leaflets were dropped over fiber optics communications sites that the United States claims are used to link together Iraq's air defense network, the command said.

It said leaflets contained a variety of messages, including warnings that the fiber optic sites have been targeted for destruction and that repairing them will place “Iraqi lives at risk”.

Other messages were that U.S. and British forces can strike any time any place, that they enforce the no-fly zone to “protect” the Iraqi people, and that coalition forces do not wish to hurt the Iraqi people so they should avoid areas occupied by the military.

The leaflets, part of a propaganda campaign to undermine Iraqi military morale and stir up dissent, have been dropped over the region 18 times since October 2002.