U.S. military commander fine-tunes war plans with generals

CAMP AS SAYLIYAH, Qatar -- The American general who would lead an Iraq invasion fine-tuned the battle plan Wednesday with his senior commanders.

The operation would be executed from a command post shielded by a chain-link fence hidden inside a warehouse on this remote desert base.

Army Gen. Tommy R. Franks met for several hours with the commanders of his naval, air, land and special operations forces, who normally report to him from their war-fighting posts in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Franks made no public appearance, but he indicated before the conference that he intended to review with his commanders their progress in preparing for the possibility that President Bush will order war to disarm Iraq.

If war comes, Franks would command the operation from Camp As Sayliyah, a 262-acre compound outside Doha, the Qatari capital, although he has the technological capability to direct it from either his permanent Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Fla., or a new airborne command post.

Although Franks' appearance at Camp As Sayliyah raised speculation in the Gulf that an Iraq war was imminent, aides said he intended to return to the United States this weekend for further consultations with Bush and others.

200,000 troops in area

About 200,000 U.S. troops have gathered on Iraq's periphery, and more are en route from the United States and Europe. Britain is contributing 45,000 troops.

The bulk of the U.S. and British ground forces would invade from Kuwait, although the United States is hoping to complete a deal with Turkey that would permit 40,000 or more U.S. troops to open a northern front.

U.S. Air Force fighters would attack mainly from bases in Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey. Bombers would fly from Oman and the island of Diego Garcia. Support planes would operate from Saudi Arabia and several other countries.

The Navy has five aircraft carriers within range of Iraq -- each with about 50 strike aircraft aboard. The Marines would operate as part of the Kuwait-based ground force as well as the air effort.

Franks also held talks Wednesday with British Defense Minister Geoff Hoon, who said afterward that Saddam still has time to avert war, although "it's certainly getting to a late hour in the day."

Hoon told a news conference the British government is confident the U.N. Security Council will pass a resolution authorizing war against Iraq and he predicted anti-war sentiment around the world would subside in the days ahead.

Hoon also echoed Franks' comments, in an Associated Press interview Tuesday, that U.S. and allied military commanders cannot guarantee the safety of civilians who would position themselves near potential bombing targets.

"It is not the case that we would necessarily take account of human shields, so called," Hoon told reporters at a cavernous international press center.

"I would want to emphasize to you the need for anyone contemplating such a course of action to return home rather than play into the hands of Saddam Hussein," he said.

Franks has declined to say publicly which command post he would use to run an Iraq war, although it was clear from a tour of the Joint Operations Center here that Camp As Sayliyah would be the primary nerve center.

The highly restricted operations center, run by about 50 military personnel, uses advanced computer and communications technology to coordinate movements and planning among the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.

"I use computers to break down barriers" between services and functional commands, said Air Force Col. Steven Pennington, a senior manager of the operations center.

He and others said they have no doubt that U.S. forces are ready if Bush orders war.

"We're focused on being prepared for that," said Marine Corps Col. Tom Bright, director of the Joint Operations Center.