] The cruisers and destroyers are armed with Tomahawk
] missiles, satellite-guided weapons which would be used in
] the early days of any war in Iraq to destroy key
] installations.
]
]
] Originally the US had planned to fire missiles from the
] eastern Mediterranean through Turkish airspace.
]
]
] However the Turkish parliament recently voted against the
] deployment of US troops on its soil, therefore the ships
] will instead pass through the Suez canal into the Red Sea
] and fire through Saudi Arabian airspace.

BBC NEWS | World | Americas | US beefs up firepower