Dubai: A US-led attack on Baghdad today (Mar 17) became increasingly imminent with
Washington advising arms inspectors in Iraq to pull out, UN observers leaving the
demilitarised zone along Iraq-Kuwait border and many countries asking their citizens
to leave the region but President Saddam Hussein remained defiant threatening "wider
war if attacked".
The Monday night deadline set by the US and its allies Britain and Spain has failed
to move UN Security Council members with France and Russia, who have threatened to
veto a motion authorising military action against Iraq while weapons inspections
continued, dismissing it.
Declaring that Monday would see the "moment of truth for the world", US President
George W Bush issued the deadline for the UN at a summit with the UK and Spanish
Prime Ministers in Portugal.
Amid growing signs that a military strike might take place this week, the UN observer
mission along Iraqi border ceased its operations and pulled out its staff out of the
area
while US, UK, Russia, Germany, Australia, China and several other countries asked
their nationals and non-essential diplomats and their families to leave the war-risk
zone.
India has also moved out its Embassy staff from Baghdad to Jordan.
PTI
