European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 8, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Tried to convince Kuwait to lease him strategic mud Fiad that command the Entrance to iraqis port of umm Qasir. When the kuwaitis refused to give him Money for Post War rebuilding or to negotiate territorial concessions Saddam moved in his troops. Saddam a sunni by birth and a secularist in practice has also reached for images from Iraq s Rich islamic past to further his political goals. But some heroes of sunni islam Are villains for the shiites and the Appeal to religious passions does not necessarily work. His recent Call to the worlds muslims to Rescue the holiest shrines of islam from his saudi enemies seems to strike a note of desperation. As much As any country in the Middle East Iraq has a history that has been dominated by Force. Because of its coveted location at the juncture of the Tigris and euphrates Rivers Iraq was easy prey throughout its Early history for conquering armies. Turbulence continues in the 20th Century. For 35 years after the British mandate ended and iraqi Independence was established in 1932, Iraq was riven by tribal strife riots and military coups. The last remnants of foreign control were shaken off in 1958 when King Faisal ii a pro Western Cousin of King Hussein of Jordan was overthrown that was followed by four leadership changes and several military coup attempts in the next decade. Then Saddam helped to sweep the baath party into Power in a bloodless coup in 1968. When asked once Why Saddam was so ruthless Nizar Hardoon now a Deputy foreign minister said a ruthless yes he a ruthless in the sense of defending the country and making the people survive. Its part of the iraqi with his display of Western hostages on iraqi television and the sealing off of at least nine embassies in Kuwait Saddam seemed to be making Good on a Promise he made on the Day he invaded Kuwait to Quot Pluck out the eyes of those who attack the Arab Saddam also had promised his people a fat peace dividend after their sacrifices in the War with Iran. In trying to get it however he reached for something that now appears far beyond his country s ability to survive and defend a a seizure of a Sovereign state and a lock on vital natural resources that Challenge the world order. Drunk with Power Saddam Hussein seems to have been blinded to the fact that modern Day Iraq remains Only one Small player on the world stage and that at some Point the rest of the world could join together to Stop him. And that has opened the possibility that his adventure in Kuwait May bring the destruction not the fulfilment of his Peoples dreams. Certainly it will not restore Mesopotamia s glory. A if we open fire anywhere near the target they Are going to be coming Down with a whole lot of Hurt a a-10 Pilot Mike Mcgee tank busting warthogs by Adam Kelliher United press International it is slow ugly and used to being rejected but the a-10 Thunderbolt has finally earned respect because shells from the aircraft can slice through iraqi Armor like a knife through a Ripe peach. Quot done to try it Quot was the message capt. James Baldwin told reporters he would give any iraqi tank commander who May be planning to Cross the Frontier of occupied Kuwait into saudi Arabia. Quot it s a real target Rich environment Quot said the 30-year-old Pilot from West Monroe ga., As he pondered the estimated 1,000 iraqi tanks in Kuwait. Quot they could not have chosen a worse time to pick a fight with us. We Are absolutely the Best Jet Rockies have Long considered the a-10 Thunderbolt to be the . Air Force machine that nobody really wanted to Fly because of the rather prosaic Art of tank busting. But the plane that has never been used in combat a that has been the target of numerous jokes by those who Fly faster sexier aircraft and has never really been wanted during its 20-year life a is now needed. Should the United states go to War with Iraq s Saddam Hussein the a-10 will be employed to try and transform his formidable legions of soviet supplied Armor into blazing lumps of russian steel strewn amid the desert Sands. The a-10 is known As the warthog and resembles a Large Bug. It is squat with Chunky fixed wings and has two Large rear Jet engines protruding from the fuselage to Crown its Overrall inelegant appearance. Designed for the Clear Mission of decimating hordes of Warsaw pact tanks during the european War that never happened the a-10 is thus perfectly suited for the similar Challenge in the Middle East. Tank busting does not require much Speed and about 300 Mph is sufficient to swoop Low Over the terrain hammering targets with Maverick missiles and a Cannon. The sense of Awe about the a-10 is mostly due to its Cannon a 20-foot-Long mechanism within the guts of the aircraft that is capable of spitting out 70 shells a second. Each plane carries about 1,150 of the rounds which Are mostly tipped with depleted uranium a dense heavy Metal that will punch through virtually any Armor or shatter its tracks. The shells Are each the size of a slim milk bottle and if Able to penetrate a tank Cabin instantly cause the air to ignite invariably killing All occupants. A if we open fire anywhere near the target they Are going to be coming Down with a whole lot of Hurt Quot said 1st it. Mike Mcgee 25, from Massachusetts. Quot the killing is something that i have thought about deeply. But if i Don t get him he is going to get because of the a-10�?Ts slow Speed it is vulnerable to Small arms fire and pilots sit shielded behind titanium cladding. It would try to thwart missiles with heat chaff and a Bevy of electronic countermeasures but is designed to be Able to have an entire engine blasted away from the fuselage and still Fly. Quot no aircraft can withstand Large direct hits but this can withstand most Quot said col. Sandy Sharpe the commander of the 354th tac fighter Wing that is usually based at Myrtle Beach . Quot it can take the fighter support is crucial because the sluggish warthog would not fare Well in a dogfight although it does have air to air sidewinder missiles. The a-10s had been earmarked for decommissioning in sweeping defense cuts planned before the Gulf crisis production of the aircraft has ended. Saudi arabians King fahd saudi expansion by Youssefi. Ibrahim new York times in a move apparently intended to mobilize saudi society for possible War with Iraq King fahd has ordered the expansion of saudi arabians armed forces and has called for wider participation of women in the kingdom s labor Force. In a sweeping directive to the Council of ministers the King opened the Way to All male University graduates to enrol in military training programs immediately in All branches of the saudi armed forces. Until now members of saudi arabians 65,000-Man Volunteer armed forces have been carefully selected so As to strike a geographical and tribal balance among various segments of the saudi population. The new move Falls Short of establishing a draft which a number of officials have already called for. But by abandoning the practice of tribal quotas the Royal edict vastly expands the size of the manpower Pool from which the saudi armed forces Are drawn. In his edict on women in the workplace the official saudi press Agency said that the King ordered Quot All specialized government authorities to accept those women volunteers who present themselves to carry on duties in the areas of human services and medical services within the context of fully preserving islamic and social in traditional islamic societies Public Contact Between the sexes is virtually non existent. Women Are free to take jobs serving other women for example As gynaecologists or As teachers in girls schools in the gender segregated educational system. But because islamic tradition strongly promotes the notion that a woman s place is in the Home the vast majority of saudi women have not made their presence Felt in the labor Market. Many of the jobs now available to women in saudi Arabia Are filled by foreigners. The immediate Impact of the Royal edict will be to encourage saudi women to take these jobs. But Over time it could Lead to the employment of saudi women in jobs that would put them in Public Contact with men such As nursing in menus wards in hospitals or working As clerks in Banks and stores with male clientele. The directive would free More men for military service but its principal aim appears to be to reduce the country s dependence on foreign workers. The Kings directives Are the most palpable evidence of the remarkable changes under Way in saudi Arabia since Iraq s invasion of Kuwait on aug. 2. Saturday september 8,1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 17
