Washington: Five US sea-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles have strayed into Saudi
Arabia, and a couple more into Turkey, since the Iraq invasion began, prompting a
suspension of missile launches along most lanes through their airspace, a US defense
official said on March 29.
The Saudi government on March 29 lodged a protest with the United States over the
incidents and later said Washington had "expressed regret".
"I think at some point they'll reopen," the US official said, adding it was not
expected to have an adverse effect on US air operations. "There are options to go
other ways," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"It's just in the first couple of days when you're firing lots of them you need lots
of different avenues. But now, when you're only firing a few, you can probably fire
them from one particular location," he said.
The official said he did not know whether the cruise missile flights were suspended
at the request of the Saudi or Turkish government, or whether US forces decided on
their own to hold off until they had determined what caused the missiles to go
astray.
The missiles that went astray in Saudi Arabia and Turkey did not explode, the
official said.
The missiles have 450-kg warheads, but are not armed until they reach their pre-
programmed target. Fired from warships and submarines, they have a range of more
than 1,600 kms.
At US Central Command headquarters in Qatar, major general Victor Renuart said a
review of launch procedures was under way and some routes had been put on hold.
"Basically we have a situation where the Saudis said can you see if you can figure
out what caused (missiles to land on Saudi territory), and we do not want to
endanger the people of Saudi Arabia or any country where they might transit," he
told reporters. "We've actually co-ordinated with the Saudis to hold on a couple of
routes where they could be close to any civilian population."
