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NewsMine war-on-terror afghanistan Viewing Item | 10 year war > SECRET PLANS FOR 10-YEAR WAR > Generals rule out 'D-Day invasion' > > By Michael Evans, Defence Editor > > [The Times, UK, 20 Sept 2001]: > AMERICA and Britain are producing secret plans > to launch a ten-year “war on terrorism” — > Operation Noble Eagle — involving a completely > new military and diplomatic strategy to > eliminate terrorist networks and cells around > the world. > > Despite the mass build-up of American forces in > the Gulf and the Indian Ocean, there will be no > “D-Day invasion” of Afghanistan and no repeat > of the US-led Operation Desert Storm against > Iraq in 1991, defence sources say. > > The notion that a US-led multinational > coalition would attack Afghanistan from all > sides for harbouring Osama bin Laden, the > wealthy Saudi dissident leader and prime > suspect for the terrorist outrages in New York > and Washington, has been rejected in Washington > and London. The sources also say that the > planned campaign is not being focused on just > “bringing bin Laden to justice”. > > The build-up of firepower by the Americans in > the region, notably > the two aircraft carrier battle groups that are > to be joined by a third carrier, USS Theodore > Roosevelt, is seen as a major display of > available military capability. While it is > important for these assets to be in the right > place in case of a political decision to launch > a strike, there are no plans for a “short-term > fix”. > > The dramatically different anti-terrorism > campaign is being planned to meet what is now > regarded as the most dangerous threat to global > security, known as asymmetric warfare. “We’re > expecting it to last from five to ten years,” > one source said. > > New ideas are needed to counter small groups > armed with the minimum of weaponry, whether > conventional or non-conventional. Such groups > have the capability to attack a nation as > powerful as the United States, which is > equipped with the full range of modern weapons > and professional Armed Forces. > > Old doctrines for fighting wars, based on > lining up tanks and artillery and layers of > troops, are being thrown out and replaced by a > more subtle and wide-ranging doctrine which > seeks to defeat the enemy at its own game. “The > aim is not to go for the enemy’s strengths, but > its weaknesses,” one source said. > > American and British planners are working on > the basis that military strikes will take place > only as part of a broader global > counter-terrorist operation, embracing every > other type of international action — > diplomatic, economic and political. > > Most of the focus of the ten-year campaign > plan, the sources say, is on using military > action as a potent back-up to all the other > strands of Operation Noble Eagle. > > However, President Bush, conscious of the > demand for “revenge” from the American public, > might sanction shorter-term military operation > by special forces, or airstrikes, but only if > there is sufficient intelligence to guarantee a > sucessful outcome. “There’s no point in firing > a lot of missiles at bin Laden if they miss > their target, or launching Tomahawks at bin > Laden training camps if they are empty,” one > source said. > > Donald Rumsfeld, the American Defence > Secretary, also gave the strongest hint > yesterday of what Operation Noble Eagle is all > about. “I think what you will see evolve over > the next six, eight, ten, 12 months, probably > over a period of years, is a coalition to help > battle terrorists,” he told CNN. > > He added: “This is a very new type of conflict > or battle or campaign or war or effort, for the > United States. We’re moving in a measured > manner. As we gather information, we’re > preparing appropriate courses of action, and > they run across the political and economic and > financial, military, intelligence spectrum.” > > British officials said the whole focus of the > long-term American approach was being driven by > Richard Cheney, the American Vice-President, > and General Colin Powell, the Secretary of > State. The combination of the two highly > experienced men was guaranteeing a > well-coordinated strategy. “Everyone now knows > it’s going to be a long haul, not a spectacular > single strike,” one official said. > > The war on terrorism could be likened, they > said, to the war on drugs or poverty, and the > best way to undermine and eventually dismantle > the terrorist structures around the world was > to use the method of “hearts and minds” — > encouraging foreign governments and people to > join in the “war” so that terrorists would be > isolated and identified. > > Some of the most dramatic achievements, the > sources say, might come, not from military > action, but from political pressure on foreign > governments to turn their backs on terrorism > and to hand over the organisers of terrorist > networks. > > They point to the campaign against Yugoslavia > in 1999. Although the airstrikes fitted more > closely to the “old doctrine concept” of using > massed firepower to target the enemy, which > brought criticism from many parts of the world, > Nato was also seen to be working as a > humanitarian agency with its operation in > Albania helping to build shelters for the > thousands of refugees pouring out of Kosovo. > > The eventual outcome, the political downfall of > Slobodan Milosevic and the decision by the new > Government to hand him over to the war crimes > tribunal in The Hague, is seen as a classic > example of how military action can serve two > purposes, defeating the enemy and effecting > political change. > > In the Gulf War, the American-led coalition > achieved one objective, driving the Iraqis out > of Kuwait, but not the other, the overthrow of > President Saddam Hussein by his own people. > > Already, the sources say, just over a week > after the terrorist attacks in America, there > have been positive developments: the Israeli > and Palestinian leaders have agreed a new > ceasefire and 1,000 clerics have been forced to > gather in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, to > discuss the fate of bin Laden. > > Yesterday it was also announced that President > Putin is to visit Nato headquarters in Brussels > on October 3 and will meet Lord Robertson of > Port Ellen, the Secretary- General, another > positive sign that the Russian leader supports > the campaign against terrorism. > > Russia and Nato put out a joint statement last > week condemning the terrorist attacks and > vowing that they would not go unpunished. > > Other coalitions against terrorism are also > being rapidly formed and several countries, > notably Pakistan yesterday, have offered bases > for American military action. > > However, sources in Washington say there are no > plans to deploy huge numbers of US troops to > Pakistan, which would only inflame Islamic > fundamentalists opposed to the decision by > President Musharraf to grant US access to two > air bases in the country. > > > >-
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