US troops ready for Iraq battle

THE United States said it has massed enough troops in the Gulf to attack Iraq, and Turkey appeared to come round yesterday to letting its territory be used to launch part of the expected assault.

Washington pressed on with its drive towards war by working on a UN Security Council resolution that it hoped would secure support from an international community not convinced of the need to use force against Baghdad.

While many nations say UN inspectors must get more time to establish if Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, Washington, backed by its main ally Britain, says Iraq has already lost this argument and President Saddam Hussein must now be removed.