Watching weather, forces roll toward Iraq

[chadtm80]

Watching weather, forces roll toward Iraq

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Military planners are watching the clock -- and the weather -- in the hours leading up to the U.S. deadline for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his sons to leave Iraq.

Senior Pentagon officials have told President Bush that the military would be ready once the order to attack is given. In Kuwait, hundreds of military vehicles have been spotted heading north toward the Iraqi frontier.

Witnesses described a 16-mile (26-kilometer) stretch of road filled with tanks, armored personnel carriers, fuel trucks and other vehicles, and said the traffic had doubled by Tuesday afternoon.

Pentagon officials told CNN's Barbara Starr that sandstorms blowing through the region could become an important factor in deciding when the campaign would begin.

Winds of up to 20 mph dramatically reduced visibility in the Kuwaiti desert Wednesday, but those winds died down after dark and were expected drop to about 5 mph by Thursday morning, CNN Meteorologist Orelon Sidney said.

Still, pentagon officials said sandstorms could be a problem for U.S. helicopters, which are expected to be a key element of the invasion. They said the Bush administration wants to launch the air campaign and ground assault almost simultaneously.

Bush told Congress Wednesday he has made a determination that diplomacy will not work in the effort to disarm Saddam -- a condition required under the resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq. (Bush's day, Text of Bush letter to Congress)

Maj. Gen. David Petraeus, commander of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division, told CNN's Ryan Chilcote that the sandstorms could complicate the U.S.-led mission but that Iraqi forces would face the same challenges.

"Even activities as simple as driving from one point to another can be challenging," Petraeus said. "You have to use GPS [Global Positioning Satellite] devices to do that; you have to slow down your speeds. It has some safety challenges, but at the end of the day we will accomplish what is necessary."

The 101st conducted pre-combat inspections Wednesday at Camp New Jersey to make sure the troops' weapons and equipment were working properly. CNN's Ryan Chilcote said soldiers were lining up at the camp's telephone center for a chance to call home.

Bush has given Saddam and his sons Uday and Qusay until 8 p.m. EST Wednesday -- 4 a.m. Thursday in Baghdad. Officials said that Bush's order to launch the attack could come at any time after that deadline. (Full story)

But two senior officials observed that in Bush's televised ultimatum the president said the United States would attack "at a time of its choosing." (Text of Bush speech, slide show)

The officials noted that the United States did not launch attacks in Afghanistan until more than two weeks after Bush used those same words in an ultimatum to the Taliban.

A senior official said that "it obviously is no surprise to anyone that a strike is coming" and that even beyond an evaluation of weather and other field conditions it could be in the U.S. interest "to leave them staring at the sky for a little bit."

More than 220,000 U.S. troops are in the Persian Gulf region as part of the buildup, including more than 130,000 in Kuwait. British forces in the area include some 26,000 ground troops.

"Make no mistake, when the president says go -- look out, it's hammer time. It is hammer time. We are going to make the world safer for our children and our grandchildren," Vice Adm. Timothy J. Keating told CNN aboard the USS Constellation.

Warplanes from the USS Abraham Lincoln hit Iraqi positions in the southern no-fly zone Wednesday after coalition aircraft were fired on, a Naval spokesman said.

An escalation of military activity has been under way in the "no fly zones" in northern and southern Iraq in recent weeks, and one White House official said Bush had been briefed on "preparatory actions" inside Iraq -- presumably special operations to scout attack routes and potential targets.

[Guest]

Noticed the sandstorms on the news. That would inhibit rapid movement in my opinion. I know that sandstorms are a very frequent occurrence in that region almost daily.

Patricia

[chadtm80]

Winds over the Kuwaiti desert can trigger vicious sandstorms, affecting the movement of troops and their equipment. Sandstorm season starts in late February and peaks in April. The abrasive, wind-driven sand can reach speeds up to 80 mph and reduce visibility to nearly nothing

[Guest]

Wow - I was in a sandstorm one time in Southeastern Colorado while on vacation. It was an experience I'll never forget - sand was in everything - and you are right - my dad couldn't see to drive down the road - had to pull over and then the sand got in and on everything you had in your possesion.

Patricia

[cycloneye]

But that sandstorm is subsiding in recent hours as I saw at MSNBC.

[chadtm80]

I saw that as well cyc

[JQ Public]

Those sandstorms are insane from what i hear. They come through every crack...and get into every par of you.

[wx247]

They tend to calm down at night, which does work to our advantage some.