The commander of US forces in the Gulf has arrived in Qatar for a high-profile military exercise as Washington moves closer to a decision whether to go to war against Baghdad.
Army General Tommy Franks, who heads the US Central Command, flew in Friday to Qatar, housing a high-tech American headquarters that would be the nerve center of any Iraqi campaign, US officials said, cited by AFP.
Franks was to lead a week-long command exercise called "Internal Look" that is to begin Monday involving around 1,000 US and British personnel brought in Qatar, said Major Bill Harrison, a Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesman.
Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was due to visit Qatar following a tour of the Horn of Africa, the US embassy said. The American army has also begun to grant media access to ongoing live-fire exercises south of the Iraqi border in Kuwait. (Albawaba.com)
