Search and destroy
Injured and angry, a determined America strikes back
Any action against Iran, which is linked to major terrorism events such as the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 U.S. service members, would require heavy force. "If it was done rapidly and violently, it could achieve pretty significant results," says a senior Pentagon official. Iraq seems to have withdrawn from promoting active terrorism, but Saddam Hussein's forces regularly fire at U.S. aircraft patrolling the no-fly zones. The Bush administration has vowed a tough new approach to curbing the Gulf War dictator whose troops are now far weaker. "We could go in and win," says one retired four-star general. "His divisions would put up some resistance, but then they would roll up and fold."
With the drums of war beating loudly, several cautioned restraint--among them Secretary Rumsfeld, who opened a Pentagon prayer meeting asking for "patience, to measure our lust for action." Hasty action that kills large numbers of civilians or destroys religious sites could infuriate the entire Arab world, worsen Mideast violence, and further foment the kind of anti-American hatred that spawned bin Laden and his cohorts.
Military brass have long grumbled that terrorists have been regarded as criminals to be brought to justice rather than military adversaries to be annihilated--but that policy will now change. "It wasn't a deterrent," said one official. "Now, we are redefining war."
With Thomas Hayden
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