Security Briefs
The Latest Headlines:
- U.S. Cities Step Up Security Ahead of War
- Tie-ups Already Seen at Canadian Border
- Mexico Deploys Troops to Border
- U.S. Advances to Iraqi Border as Deadline Looms
- Tie-ups Already Seen at Canadian Border
U.S. Cities Step Up Security Ahead of War
Major U.S. cities, like Washington and New York, that could be potential targets of terrorist attacks are buckling down as the country heads toward a war with Iraq, news services said.In New York, the Associated Press said police are deploying hundreds of extra officers around landmarks, places of worship, tourist attractions, Wall Street, train stations and television stations around the city. AP also reported that checkpoints at bridges and tunnels leading into Manhattan have been set up and are being staffed by police officers.
Officials in the nation’s capital of Washington have barred pedestrians from walking in fron of the White House as just one of many new security precautions, the Washington Post reported.
Other major cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles were locking down areas near tourist attractions, bridges and other landmarks, news services said. Transport Topics
Tie-ups Already Seen at Canadian Border
Canadian news services have reported that delays are already starting to form along the U.S-Canada border as the United States clamps down security ahead of a possible war with Iraq.Truckers in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec have all seen delays of as much as five hours in crossing the border, the Toronto Star said.
The Vancouver Province said that trucks heading toward the Pacific Highway Truck Crossing were backed up for several miles. The line was so long, the Province said that a flagman was deployed at an intersection to prevent line jumping.
In Ontario, the National Post said that government officials announced plans to put out portable toilets along the highways leading up to border crossings there. The government is also looking to enforce special traffic management efforts at the border to avoid a repeat of the chaos at the border after the Sept. 11 attacks. Transport Topics
Mexico Deploys Troops to Border
Mexico said it has deployed 18,000 troops to its border with the United States to help ensure no terrorist elements enter the U.S. in case it goes to war with Iraq and to protect its own strategic sites, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.Officials in the northern border states in Mexico have formed working groups to prevent any terrorists from entering the U.S. if the country goes ahead with its plans to invade Iraq, the paper said.
Mexico has not been a supporter of the war effort in the United Nations, the Times reported, but U.S. officials noted that its assistance on border security issues has improved considerably under President Vicente Fox. Transport Topics
U.S. Advances to Iraqi Border as Deadline Looms
As the clock clicked closer to the 8 p.m. EST deadline for Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his family to leave his country, American and British forces advanced across the Kuwaiti desert toward Iraq’s southern border, the Associated Press said.If the United States, as expected, leads a coalition into Iraq, then officials have warned that terrorists may seek to strike U.S. targets here or abroad. As a result, the terror threat condition has been raised to “high” or “orange” (Click here for related coverage.).
About 300,000 troops have been placed within striking distance of Iraq, AP reported. The soldiers are moving through a severe sandstorm, AP said, which is hampering their movements.
Although the deadline is a 8 p.m. EST – 4 a.m. local time – President Bush said in his address Monday night that the U.S. could attack "at a time of our choosing," AP said, Transport Topics
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