War Strategy
How different will it be from the first gulf war?

What is the likely strategy for a war in iraq?

All sorts of scenarios have emerged over several months, one thing is however certain, it will not be a repeat of the first Gulf War.

A second Gulf War will be different from the first, this time, American war aims are a regime change in Baghdad.

It won't be easy nor bloodless.

An air campaign using precision-guided bombs is almost certainly a prelude to any ground conflict.

There are now new types of smart bombs in the US arsenal.

They're also getting cheaper and better.

Back during the first Gulf war, less than half of the bombs dropped were guided by laser or video cameras.

In Afghanistan, the figure was closer to 60 percent.

First to be aired in July 2002 was an all-out invasion of Iraq from 3-sides by as many as 250,000 US troops.

US forces converge from Kuwait, Jordan and Turkey.

Another option played out around the same time was the much celebrated Afghanistan-style mix of air attacks and special operations forces.

Critics however say there's no Northern Alliance equivalent in Iraq.

But that may change.

On 3rd October 2002, President Bush authorised spending $92 million US dollars for combat training for 5 000 Iraqi opponents of Saddam Hussein

The force is projected to reach 10, 000 men, giving American planners a small army.

Pentagon planners however are not taking any chances, even planning for the worst case scenario of a bloody urban battle on the streets of Baghdad, which President Saddam appears to be hoping for.

Reports say US marines and soldiers have been undergoing intensive training fighting in mock cities.

But if that happens, casualties among civilians and US troops are expected to be high

That would be seen as a political failure for the Bush administration - at home, in Iraq and throughout the Middle East.