US 'has blueprint for invading Iraq'

The US has a grandiose plan to invade Iraq from air, land and sea, according to a military "concept" document disclosed today by the New York Times.

Tens of thousands of marines and soldiers would storm the country from bases in Kuwait, with hundreds of warplanes operating from as many as eight countries. Their aim would be thousands of targets including airfields, roads and optical communications.

In rehearsal for the attack, thousands of marines have stepped up mock assault drills, and bases in several Persian Gulf states are being built up.

As yet, not one of the countries mentioned as playing a role in the massive assault has been formally consulted. However, US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld visited American bases in Kuwait and Qatar and the Fifth Fleet in Bahrain in June.

The existence of the document "indicates an advanced state of planning even though President Bush continues to state in public that he has no fine-grain war plan on his desk for the invasion of Iraq", the paper says. The document was leaked by an official angry that the plans do not incorporate advances made since the 1991 Gulf War.

US officials say they are still considering options other than war to remove Saddam Hussein from power. However, most experts believe a coup would not succeed, and a battle using local forces might be too weak to topple the Iraqi leader.