Rumsfeld heralds 'first strike' era

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said that his country has 
entered a new era in which it must pre-emptively seek out and prevent 
attacks by terrorists and terrorist states.  

04/28/03: (BBC) He told coalition troops at US Central Command in the 
Gulf state of Qatar that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq showed that 
America had made a good start.  

He said the US-led invasion of Iraq would go down in military history 
because of its unprecedented combination of power, precision, speed 
and flexibility.  

It was also notable for its compassion towards innocent civilians, 
he said.  

His comments came after US military officials were reported as saying 
that American air operations in the region would be run from Qatar 
rather than Saudi Arabia for the foreseeable future.  

BBC Middle East analyst Roger Hardy says the war in Iraq showed that 
Saudi Arabia was unwilling to accept a high-profile American presence 
on its soil.  

Baghdad was liberated in less than a month, possibly the fastest 
march on a capital in modern military history 

He adds that the country's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Abdullah, 
is thought to have wanted to reduce the US military presence in 
Saudi Arabia for some time.  

In his address to the troops, Mr Rumsfeld said: "The task we have 
is a different one in the 21st century - it is not conventional, 
it is unconventional.  

"It requires us to seek out and defend and prevent the attacks 
by terrorists.  

"It may be an untidy world, but our country and our friends and 
allies are going to be able to preserve our way of life, continue 
our way of life, not climb into holes and hide."  

'Be proud'

To cheers, Mr Rumsfeld told the troops that what they had done would 
go down in history.  

"Those scenes we have all witnessed of free Iraqis pulling down 
statues of Saddam Hussein, greeting coalition forces and celebrating 
their new-found freedom - they will certainly take their place alongside 
the fall of the Berlin Wall and the liberation of Paris and each of you 
helped make that happen.  

"You can be very proud of it. 

"You have helped rescue a nation and liberate a people. 

"You have driven a repressive regime from power, ending a threat to 
free people everywhere, protecting our country from a growing danger 
and giving the Iraqi people a chance to build a free nation." 

Mr Rumsfeld hit back at critics of the war in Iraq by paraphrasing 
Winston Churchill's comments about the Battle of Britain, saying: 
"Never have so many been so wrong about so much".  

He praised General Tommy Franks, the commander of the coalition 
forces in Iraq, and all of the men and women who served under him.  

"Baghdad was liberated in less than a month, possibly the fastest 
march on a capital in modern military history," he said.  

Mr Rumsfeld is on a tour to thank Gulf leaders for their support 
during the war.  

He is expected to visit Afghanistan later this week. A trip to 
Iraq could also be included in his schedule.  

Story from BBC NEWS:

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Source: Information Clearinghouse ....
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3149.htm


Cheers, Steve..

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