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| Iraq |
| Border Gates May Be Invasion Route |
| 2003-03-12 |
| Gates cut into the Kuwait-Iraq border fence this month may herald a drive-in US-led invasion or they could be a feint, like a fake frontal attack and amphibious assault on the eve of the 1991 Gulf War. Heh, heh, heh It depends on whether there are Iraqi forces ahead of the gates along the demilitarized zone, which are wide enough for tanks to drive through. The demilitarized zone is 15 km wide and straddles the border, giving US forces room to maneuver east or west along it once they are through the gates and still inside Kuwait. But all the same, creating entryways gives Iraqi long-range artillery a point to aim at. That would seem unnecessarily risky, if there is any Iraqi artillery within range. Being an Iraqi artillery man in range of these gates just became a risky occupation. The United States Air Force has the run of the southern third of Iraq, over the no-fly zone, plus satellites to detect any major defensive deployments and possibly special forces teams on the ground. So US commanders would know. They do, right down to the serial numbers on the Iraqi guns. If there is no significant Iraqi force on the other side, the gates may be just what they seem to be â invasion routes for part of a massive, rapid land attack into the heart of Iraq that can dispense with the element of surprise. But if there are Iraqi artillery and armored forces in the area, these gates may have been cut to wrong-foot the defenders. UN investigators said last week that a commercial contractor was working to cut 35 gates in the fence by March 15. Some of the "gates" are 25 meters wide. Kuwait said yesterday it maintained the right to make gates in the fence built to help guard its northern frontier against Iraq. âThe gates in the fence were opened on Kuwaiti territory and not on Iraqi territory, which is our right,â the daily Al-Rai Al-Aam quoted First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah as saying. âKuwait was the one who built this fence to prevent Iraqi infiltrations, we have the right, from time to time ... to carry out maintenance and repair works on this fence,â he told reporters. "It's my fence, dammit, and I'll cut holes in it if I want!" Sheikh Sabah was referring to reports last week that seven wide gaps were spotted in the border fence by the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observer Mission (UNIKOM). Iraq has filed a complaint with the UN about the holes, which it claimed violate its territory, the newspaper said. "Hey, stop that!" |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #2 Fences just keep the surrendering Iraqi army troops at bay until we're ready to process them as POWs. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-03-12 10:25:18 |
| #1 Unless the fence is as sturdy as the Berlin Wall, it's a matter of a few seconds to take any part of it down, either by cutting it free of the posts, or by just running an M-1 OVER it. Gates are nice, but I think they're for show. "Look here... no... look over here... no..." |
| Posted by: Chuck 2003-03-12 10:01:13 |