Eutrusca
19-07-2006, 15:58
COMMENTARY: Without question it's necessary to evacuate those Americans still in Lebanon, and it's also necessary to involve the military in case evacuees are attacked. But placing American military personnel in the area at this moment is inherently dangerous and could easily cause rapid escalation. I only hope everyone involved keeps at least a few shreads of their rationality about them. Your thoughts on all this??
US Ramps Up Evacuation Plans (http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,106039,00.html?ESRC=eb.nl)
Associated Press | July 19, 2006
WASHINGTON - Worried about possible attacks on its ships, the U.S. Navy was publicly vague about details as it stepped up its efforts to evacuate Americans from Israeli-Hezbollah fighting.
Nearly a week into the violence, the evacuation has been criticized as slow and chaotic. Vice Adm. Patrick M. Walsh, the top U.S. Naval officer in the Mideast, said nine Navy ships were en route to the area and officials had arranged for a second commercial ship to dock in Beirut.
"You will see a dramatic ramp-up," promised Maura Harty, assistant secretary of state for consular affairs.
Asked at a Pentagon press conference about the possibility of Hezbollah attacks on the operation, Walsh said: "I'm concerned about attacks on ships - you bet."
He said that was one of the reasons the details he revealed were "the best I can give you conceptually, but they're not going to reveal a lot of specific detail."
The Orient Queen, a Lebanese cruise ship under contract with the U.S. military, pulled in Tuesday night, would take on as many as 1,000 passengers and leave at first light, said Walsh.
A second commercial vessel was on the way and would be able to take another 1,400 people.
In addition to the nine U.S. ships on their way, a number of coalition ships were en route and included vessels from the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy.
Some of the U.S. ships will take passengers to Cyprus while others will provide escorts and protection for the commercial vessels ferrying the Americans out of Lebanon, Walsh said.
"You will see amphibious ships with American citizens on board," he said.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said earlier that the U.S. was considering contracting with as many as four more commercial ships that could each carry between 200 and more than 1,000 passengers.
Speaking to Pentagon reporters from Bahrain, Walsh said there were no plans to put U.S. Marines ashore in Beirut for security.
"I don't think it would be helpful to speculate any further in terms of going ashore, or future operations that may involve or may not involve the use of amphibious Marines ashore," Walsh said.
Early estimates were that some 5,000 Americans wanted to be evacuated, but officials were preparing for more, Walsh said.
Asked about a delay in getting the Orient Queen into port past an Israeli sea blockade, Whitman said the commercial ship had a number of Lebanese passengers already aboard and "we needed to do some coordination" in order to allow those people to pass through and leave the ship in Beirut.
Of the U.S. ships en route, the first was expected to arrive Wednesday and the rest "in the course of the week," Walsh said.
They include the amphibious assault ships USS Iwo Jima, USS Nashville and the USS Whidbey Island. The ships carry a battalion of Marines with a helicopter squadron, the Navy said in a statement. The ships also have hospital facilities.
At a separate State Department briefing, Harty said 240 U.S. citizens can be carried out by air Wednesday in addition to those who will be put on ships.
And she said an operation will begin on Wednesday to bus American citizens in southern Lebanon to ports so they can board one of the ships.
The evacuated Americans will be taken to Cyprus, where they can choose to go on to their homes or fly to other countries.
US Ramps Up Evacuation Plans (http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,106039,00.html?ESRC=eb.nl)
Associated Press | July 19, 2006
WASHINGTON - Worried about possible attacks on its ships, the U.S. Navy was publicly vague about details as it stepped up its efforts to evacuate Americans from Israeli-Hezbollah fighting.
Nearly a week into the violence, the evacuation has been criticized as slow and chaotic. Vice Adm. Patrick M. Walsh, the top U.S. Naval officer in the Mideast, said nine Navy ships were en route to the area and officials had arranged for a second commercial ship to dock in Beirut.
"You will see a dramatic ramp-up," promised Maura Harty, assistant secretary of state for consular affairs.
Asked at a Pentagon press conference about the possibility of Hezbollah attacks on the operation, Walsh said: "I'm concerned about attacks on ships - you bet."
He said that was one of the reasons the details he revealed were "the best I can give you conceptually, but they're not going to reveal a lot of specific detail."
The Orient Queen, a Lebanese cruise ship under contract with the U.S. military, pulled in Tuesday night, would take on as many as 1,000 passengers and leave at first light, said Walsh.
A second commercial vessel was on the way and would be able to take another 1,400 people.
In addition to the nine U.S. ships on their way, a number of coalition ships were en route and included vessels from the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy.
Some of the U.S. ships will take passengers to Cyprus while others will provide escorts and protection for the commercial vessels ferrying the Americans out of Lebanon, Walsh said.
"You will see amphibious ships with American citizens on board," he said.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said earlier that the U.S. was considering contracting with as many as four more commercial ships that could each carry between 200 and more than 1,000 passengers.
Speaking to Pentagon reporters from Bahrain, Walsh said there were no plans to put U.S. Marines ashore in Beirut for security.
"I don't think it would be helpful to speculate any further in terms of going ashore, or future operations that may involve or may not involve the use of amphibious Marines ashore," Walsh said.
Early estimates were that some 5,000 Americans wanted to be evacuated, but officials were preparing for more, Walsh said.
Asked about a delay in getting the Orient Queen into port past an Israeli sea blockade, Whitman said the commercial ship had a number of Lebanese passengers already aboard and "we needed to do some coordination" in order to allow those people to pass through and leave the ship in Beirut.
Of the U.S. ships en route, the first was expected to arrive Wednesday and the rest "in the course of the week," Walsh said.
They include the amphibious assault ships USS Iwo Jima, USS Nashville and the USS Whidbey Island. The ships carry a battalion of Marines with a helicopter squadron, the Navy said in a statement. The ships also have hospital facilities.
At a separate State Department briefing, Harty said 240 U.S. citizens can be carried out by air Wednesday in addition to those who will be put on ships.
And she said an operation will begin on Wednesday to bus American citizens in southern Lebanon to ports so they can board one of the ships.
The evacuated Americans will be taken to Cyprus, where they can choose to go on to their homes or fly to other countries.