Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, September 18, 2002
US Military to Stage Amphibious Exercise in Kuwait
US military forces will stage an amphibious landing exercise in Kuwait later this month as the United States is keeping up its pressure on Iraq by military build-up in Persian Gulf, US Central Command said Tuesday.
US military forces will stage an amphibious landing exercise in Kuwait later this month as the United States is keeping up its pressure on Iraq by military build-up in Persian Gulf, US Central Command said Tuesday.
"It is an amphibious exercise that is scheduled for later in September," US Central Command spokesman Lieutenant Commander Nick Balice said.
The exercise, code-named "Eager Mace 02," was expected to last three to four weeks and will involve up to 2,000 Marines from an amphibious assault force led by the helicopter carrier USS BelleauWood, Balice said.
The exercise would also involve ground, air and surface naval forces, according to US military officials.
A spokeswoman for the US Military Sealift Command said Tuesday the military has hired a commercial cargo ship to transport some 72,000 pounds of equipment this week from undisclosed ports in Europe to destinations in the Persian Gulf.
"I am not aware of the exact details of what is in the shipment,though we are expecting the shipment to leave Europe in the next two to four days," said Marge Holtz, a spokeswoman for the US Military Sealift Command.
Meanwhile, the New York Times reported that the United States has asked Britain to allow B-2 stealth bombers to use an air base on the tiny British territory of Diago Garcia in the Indian Ocean as part of its effort to ratchet up pressure on Iraq.
The US military is already stationing B-52 bombers at Diago Garcia.