US Bombers Sent to Guam Following Spy Plane Incident with North Korea

From the Voice of America:

VOA News, 04 Mar 2003, 19:28 UTC

The United States is dispatching a bomber force to the island of Guam, in case it would be needed in the nuclear standoff with North Korea.

A senior Pentagon official tells VOA that 24 U.S. bombers will be stationed on Guam. He says the move is meant as a warning to North Korea not to underestimate U.S. military capabilities at a time when Washington is focused on a possible war with Iraq.

Continued.

The official says this move is not related to Sunday's incident in which four North Korean fighter jets intercepted an American spy plane over the Sea of Japan near the Korean peninsula.

White House officials say the United States will formally protest the Sunday incident. A spokesman called it reckless behavior on the part of North Korea, adding that the United States is consulting with South Korea on how to formally protest the incident.

President George W. Bush on Monday raised the possibility of using military force against North Korea, if diplomatic efforts to halt Pyongyang's nuclear development program fail. The president said he still is committed to a diplomatic solution in the crisis.

U.S. and South Korean forces Tuesday began annual joint military exercises in South Korea. They are to continue until April 2 and are being called the largest joint maneuvers the two allies hold.

Pyongyang has demanded the exercises be canceled. On Tuesday, the official [North] Korean Central News Agency described the Bush administration as a lawless regime intent upon destroying North Korea.

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printed from US Bombers Sent to Guam Following Spy Plane Incident with North Korea on 2004-05-31 00:19:05