US forces and weapons moving toward the Gulf region have come under threat of possible attacks, according to high-ranking American military officials, who added they are more alert than ever to these risks, according to The New York Times.
In its Monday edition, the daily reported that during the last three weeks, US intelligence gathered what officials termed as credible evidence of a planned bombing of a passenger airliner contracted to fly troops and freight for the military.
In order to counter what top commanders describe as the increasing threat of attack on those mobilizing for a possible war against Iraq, the US military has started to share classified intelligence warnings with commercial transportation companies ferrying United States forces toward the Middle East from the US and abroad, the senior officials said.
In the case of the suspected bombing plan, for instance, military officials had come up with intelligence identifying a specific civilian airline company, a specific airport in the United States and a specific date and time of a possible attack, military and intelligence officials said.
Rather than risk any delays from working through domestic law enforcement authorities or federal transportation safety agencies, the military gave the secret threat assessment directly to the private airline company.
Subsequently, security officials at the company took pre-emptive measures, including changing the date and time of the flight and the route it followed. (Albawaba.com)
