According to reports quoting US and British officials, war plans call for the United States to blitz Iraq with 3,000 guided bombs and missiles in the first two days in a bid to demoralise Saddam's forces.
An invasion from the north and the south would then put the squeeze on Baghdad, while airborne soldiers grab key installations such as oil wells and airfields.
By mid-February there will be more than 150,000 service personnel, at least four aircraft carriers and hundreds of aircraft in the region, ready for an attack.
The two-pronged invasion plan has put the heat on Turkey, NATO's only Muslim member and one of Iraq's northern neighbours.
Ankara said today it would seek parliamentary approval this week to step up its involvement in war plans that could include allowing US forces to move from its territory.
Turkey has already sent its soldiers to reinforce the Iraqi border region and has appealed to other NATO members to help protect it in case of a counter-attack by Baghdad.
But the governments of Turkey, and other US allies, face a public and political backlash for giving early backing to war without UN approval.
AFP
