Aerial blitz will herald start of war

A MASSIVE aerial bombardment will herald the beginning of war on Iraq, according to a military expert.

Ian Kemp, news editor of Jane's Defence Weekly, said the air campaign was likely to follow the pattern of Operation Desert Storm.

"First you try to neutralise the enemy's air defence system so your own aircraft are able to operate with much reduced risk," he said.

"The US and British forces have a tremendous advantage from patrolling the no-fly zones, so now that operation will be extended across Iraq, searching for the anti-aircraft systems.

"The next priority is to decapitate the command structure, destroying either the generals or the communications structures linking them with the field.

"Most of these the brigade, divisional and corps headquarters will be fairly easy to tackle but others are deeply buried and they need more specialised munitions.

"Once that infrastructure has been dealt with then you move onto the troop formations themselves, especially high-value brigades like the Republican Guard.

"Targets like that are chosen because of their military and psy-ops (psychological operations) value, especially when done at the same time as dropping leaflets.

"If your troops are in the field and you destroy their communications system or they hear that elite brigades like the Republican Guard have been hit, then they feel isolated."

Several sites already hit during the no-fly zone patrols will be targeted again.

The air command and control bases at Tallil and al-Kut, which safeguard the approaches to Baghdad, are likely to come under attack again to prepare the way for an invasion force.

Tallil has bunkers to shelter aircraft and munitions and was believed to have been used to store chemical weapons in Operation Desert Storm.

Al-Kut, 100 miles south east of Baghdad, protects the southern approaches to the capital and was the target of stealth bombing in 1991.

The coalition will also seek to destroy suspected caches of weapons which have remained hidden from the arms inspectors.

Analysts have warned they could be hidden close to some of Iraq's archaeological treasures, such as Babylon and the world-famous ziggurat towers.