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Ready to cross the line

AGENCIES, undated
US troops in the Kuwaiti desert packed their gear and made final preparations yesterday for an invasion of Iraq after President Bush handed Baghdad a 48-hour war ultimatum.
Some soldiers were up as early as 1:30 a.m., packing tents and kit to move to new positions in readiness for an imminent assault. Bush said this will come unless Iraqi President Saddam Hussein flees his country by 4:15 a.m. (0115 GMT) on Thursday.
Troops in full battle gear were checking their rifles, machineguns and equipment. Some units dismantled their desert camps and loaded trucks with equipment, preparing to advance close to the Iraqi border, where they will sleep in the open.
James Mattis, commanding general of the 1st Marine Division, told his troops in a letter delivered to each of them that the time had come to go to war to remove Saddam from power.
"When I give you the word, together we will cross the line of departure, close with those forces who choose to fight, and destroy them," the letter said.
"Chemical attack, treachery, and use of the innocent as human shields can be expected, as can other unethical tactics. Take it all in stride."
Some 280,000 US and British troops are massed in the region, ready to inflict a massive, high-tech bombardment on Iraq's largely ill-equipped forces and to drive deep into the country in a rapid helicopter and tank assault.
The desert camps buzzed with an air of anticipation as news spread of Bush's announcement that he was giving Saddam 48 hours to leave Iraq or face war.
The mood among the troops was confident and eager after weeks of uncomfortable waiting under canvas amid the rising temperatures and sandstorms of the inhospitable Kuwaiti desert.
"As a marine, this is what we train for. This is what we look forward to," 19-year-old Joseph McCarthy from St. Johns, Arizona, said at Camp Viking in northern Kuwait.
"I myself -- and I'm pretty sure all the other marines around me -are ready to go, ready to get this thing kicked off and taken care of and finally get Saddam out of where he's at."
Many soldiers said they were worried they may be attacked with chemical or biological weapons.
"Anything could happen -suicide attacks, them setting up bombs within housing for when you clear it," said Sergeant Anthony Boswell, 24, a marine from Salem, Oregon.
Following is a rough breakdown of the forces in the region, based on US defence sources:
KUWAIT
About 149,000 troops, mostly US army and marines, many of whom have been training in the desert near the Iraqi border. About 25,000 British troops are also are based in Kuwait.
The army's 3rd Infantry Division and the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force is the anchor for the US ground forces massing for a possible southern invasion of Iraq. The Army's 82nd Airborne Division also has a brigade combat team here.
Two air bases are used by US and British forces in the region, Al-Jaber and Ali Salem.
SAUDI ARABIA
More than 10,000 US troops, mostly air force are based at Prince Sultan Air Base in the desert south of Riyadh. Small numbers of US forces are at a Saudi airfield at Arar near the border with Iraq, evidence of growing US-Saudi cooperation.
The Afghan air campaign was directed from a combined air operations centre that opened at Prince Sultan Air Base in 2001. The base is also a hub for US fighter aircraft, E-3 AWACS radar planes, other surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, and air refuelling planes.
NAVY
Some 48,000 sailors and marines are aboard a growing armada of US warships in the Gulf region, including the aircraft carriers USS Kitty Hawk, USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Constellation. The USS Nimitz is on the way from the US west coast.
There are 26 surface combatant ships, 20 amphibious assault ships, and 12 support ships in the Gulf. A three ship amphibious assault group led by the USS Iwo Jima is on the way from the US east coast.
The carriers USS Harry S Truman and the USS Theodore Roosevelt are in the eastern Mediterranean with their battle groups. The sailors and marines aboard those ships account for most of the 20,000 US forces deployed in the European Command's area of operations for possible action against Iraq.
Eight warships that shoot Tomahawk cruise missiles are in the Red Sea and as many as seven others were due to follow from the Mediterranean.
QATAR
About 8,000 military personnel, mostly at Al Udeid Air Base southwest of Doha and at the As Sayliyah army base outside the capital.
US Central Command has installed a deployable headquarters at As Sayliyah, giving Army General Tommy Franks the option of using it to direct all US forces in case of a war.
BAHRAIN
About 5,000 US forces, mostly US Navy. US Fifth Fleet headquarters are located here, making it the nerve centre for all US warships in the Red Sea, the Gulf, and the Arabian Sea.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
About 1,200 US military personnel are in the Emirates, a stopping point for US naval vessels.
TURKEY
About 5,000 US troops. US and British air forces operate from Incirlik air base, flying patrols over northern Iraq to enforce a no-fly zone. In the past about 50 US aircraft, mostly fighters, have been stationed there.
Turkish and US officials continue to haggle over an agreement to allow up to 62,000 troops to move through its territory in the event of a war, officials say. But the Pentagon is now said to be focusing on alternatives.
Several thousand US troops had been engaged in upgrading bases and preparing for the arrival of US forces.
JORDAN
Jordan says its territory will not be used to invade Iraq. But US troops are manning three Patriot anti-missile batteries to protect Amman against missile attack.
DJIBOUTI
About 1,000 US military personnel are based in this tiny state on the Horn of Africa, part of a counter-terrorism task force. A 400-member task force headquarters is aboard the command ship USS Mount Whitney.
OMAN
About 3,000 US military personnel. Omani ports and airfields serve as important transit points for forces heading up the Gulf or to Afghanistan.
DIEGO GARCIA
Fewer than 1,000 US military personnel. This British base in the Indian Ocean has been used as a staging post for B-52 and B-2 stealth bombers. Special climate controlled shelters for the B-2s have been built here in recent months.
AFGHANISTAN
About 10,000 US troops. These include forces from the crack 82nd Airborne Division, which recently took over headquarters responsibilities from the 10th Mountain Division. Another 4,000 troops are in the surrounding central Asian states and Pakistan.