US led attack set for Feb - Russia's Interfax News

U.S.-led attack on Iraq planned for February: Russian media
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/01/22/interfax030122

MOSCOW - Russia's Interfax news agency says the U.S. has decided to proceed with a military campaign in Iraq that would begin in mid-February.

An unnamed source in the Russian military command told the news service Russia's military leadership has received dates and scenarios of the invasion from their counterparts in the U.S.

The Interfax source, described as a high-ranking official at military headquarters in Moscow, said the invasion will begin once 150,000 U.S. troops are in place in bases around Iraq.

He said it will be a combined land, air and sea operation and American military planners expect the war to last less than a month.

The source then offers his own opinion on the invasion, saying its goal appears to be not only to topple of Saddam Hussein but also to establish American control over Iraqi oil reserves.

The report claims Washington has already made the decision to attack, but hasn't made it public yet.

A Russian defence analyst said what the Russian official is saying is undoubtedly true, even if he doesn't have direct information from the U.S.

The analyst said every military planner in the world knows the decision to invade Iraq was made months ago, given the pace of the deployment of the American military in the region.

Interfax
http://www.interfax.ru/one_news_en.html?lang=EN&tz=0&tz_format=MSK&id_news=5616214