By
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - American forces in two small Persian Gulf states and in Turkey are on a heightened state of alert because of specific new indications of terrorist threats, the Pentagon said yesterday.
"Given the circumstances, the recent attack on the Cole and the generally higher level of threat throughout that region, we thought it was simply the prudent thing to do, to go to that higher threat condition in those two specific areas," Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. Craig Quigley said, referring to Qatar and Bahrain.
The threat condition in Bahrain and Qatar was raised to "Delta," the highest possible level, this past weekend, he said.
Quigley said the threat condition for U.S. forces at Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey was elevated more than a week ago to "Charlie" level, the second-highest threat condition. Incirlik is the hub for American and British warplanes enforcing a "no fly" zone over northern Iraq.
Quigley said the decision to raise alert levels was based on intelligence reports of "multiple threats" from "multiple sources." He said the threats were specific, but the credibility of the sources was unknown.
The U.S. military employs four levels of security alert above threat condition "normal." They are "Alpha," "Bravo," "Charlie" and "Delta."
A declaration of threat condition "Delta" normally indicates that a terrorist attack has occurred or intelligence indicates likely terrorist action against a specific location, Quigley said. Extra precautions are taken to inspect visitors and vehicles, and the off-base movements of U.S. personnel are restricted.
"In this particular case, we've got fairly specific information, but the credibility is unknown," he said. "You're not quite sure what to make of it, so you do the cautious course of action and go up to the higher level."
There are about 1,100 U.S. military personnel in Bahrain, base of one of the most important American military contingents in the Gulf: the Navy's 5th Fleet. The Navy also has a carrier battle group in the Gulf. A three-ship Amphibious Ready Group carrying 2,100 Marines that normally is in the Gulf is now in Aden, Yemen, to assist with the crippled USS Cole.
There are fewer than 50 U.S. troops in Qatar, who manage a large stock of prepositioned Army war-fighting equipment.
U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait were not included in the heightened state of alert, Quigley said.
He described the moves in Bahrain and Qatar as a "cautious course of action" in view of the bombing of the Cole on Oct. 12 in Aden. The more than 200 U.S. military personnel in Aden, - including 101 members of Marine Corps anti-terrorism squads, have been at a "Delta" threat condition since the bombing, he said.
The last time U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf area were on the highest level of alert was immediately after the August 1998 terrorist bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people, including 12 Americans.
Quigley refused to discuss the nature of the threat that prompted the security concerns.
Clinton administration officials have said it is too early to consider specific plans for military retaliation for the Cole bombing, but more than enough Air Force and Navy warplanes are in the area to carry out an attack.
After the Africa embassy bombings, President Clinton ordered cruise missile strikes against suspected terrorist training camps in Afghanistan run by alleged terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden and against a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan suspected of having links to bin Laden.
Reflecting widespread speculation about possible U.S. retaliation for the Cole bombing, Amnesty International USA, the humanitarian organization, issued a statement cautioning Clinton to avoid harming civilians.
"In the event a missile attack is launched, the United States must demonstrate that all possible steps were taken to protect against civilian casualties," said William F. Schultz, the group's executive director.
The crippled Cole, meanwhile, remained in stable condition in Aden harbor, Quigley said. A Norwegian-owned heavy-lift ship, the Blue Marlin, is due in Aden on Saturday, he said, to begin preparing the Cole for transport back to the United States. He said the Navy has not yet decided whether the Cole will be returned to its home port of Norfolk Naval Station, Va., or go directly to a shipyard for repairs.
