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NAVY clearance diver Troy Miles gropes blindly through murky water to search for Iraqi mines. He emerges from the Persian Gulf to hear the rattle and boom of the war above him. Back home in Cairns, his wife Ali Miles hears all Troy's horror stories over the telephone. "He said the dust storms are like cyclones and the water he is diving in is so dark he can hardly see in front of him," Mrs Miles said after speaking to her husband on Thursday. "He can hear the battle overhead. He said it was full on, pretty mad. He said...

AUSTRALIAN SAS soldiers could hunt down leaders of the Iraqi regime spotted in their operational areas, the Australian commander for the Iraq war has revealed. Brigadier Maurie McNarn, who is in charge of the nation's forces in the Middle East, said the primary focus of the special forces remained seeking out Iraqi missiles and weapons of mass destruction in the western region of the country. But they were also on the lookout for any regime leaders, he said. That could include Saddam Hussein, his sons and generals or officials of the ruling Baath Party. "If they come into their area...

WITH bottles and knives in their hands and hate in their hearts, a mob of violent troublemakers yesterday ambushed a student anti-war rally to lead a vicious rampage through Sydney streets. A group of young men, described by police as "Middle Eastern males", created havoc by throwing chairs, rocks, bottles, eggs and golf balls at police and media during several hours of chaos in the CBD. Police also seized two knives from protesters, one of which fell on to the ground in the midst of a scuffle. The violent spectacle began at Town Hall and resulted in two police officers...

JOHN Howard last night told Australians the invasion of Iraq was in the national interest because it would improve our protection against international terrorism. "This has been a very difficult decision for the Government but a decision which is good for Australia's long-term security and the cause of a safer world," he said. Mr Howard's address followed a spontaneous ant-war demonstration of more than 10,000 people which bought traffic to a standstill in Sydney. Labor Leader Simon Crean condemned the war as reckless. "This is a sad day for the world, and it's a tragic day for Australia," Mr Crean...

FRANCE'S refusal to back a war in Iraq is a hypocritical ploy to reposition itself internationally, Prime Minister John Howard has said. His comments came after French President Jacques Chirac reaffirmed France was ready to use its veto in the UN Security Council to block a resolution that would pave the way to war with Iraq. President Chirac said Paris stood by its refusal to back any attack on Baghdad, opting for a diplomatic path that should be pursued "until we've come (to) a dead end". However, Mr Howard today told ABC radio that France's position was hypocritical and inconsistent...

AUSTRALIAN troops preparing for war in the Persian Gulf fear an anti-war backlash at home reminiscent of the divisive protests during the Vietnam war. Members of the 2000-strong force stationed in the Gulf have been following the peace protests in Australia and hope the community retains its support for the troops about to fight in a war against Iraq. Squadron Leader Melanie, 31, a Newcastle-based logistics officer who has served 13 years in the RAAF, hopes the "ugly" mood targeting soldiers who fought in the Vietnam war will not be repeated. "People obviously feel strongly on both sides," she said....

JOHN Howard yesterday confessed it will take a miracle to prevent war in Iraq -- and pressed home the Government's argument for joining in. The Prime Minister said ignoring Saddam Hussein's stocks of horror weapons could lead to a terrorist strike of Pearl Harbour dimensions. While acknowledging divided public opinion on the issue, he said it was in Australia's interests to fight the dictator. "I've never walked away from the possibility that military action would be needed to disarm him," Mr Howard told a National Press Club lunch in the Great Hall of Parliament House. He said the outcome depended...

Australia protests after expatriate flogged in Saudi Arabia SYDNEY March 5 - Australian Prime Minister John Howard lashed out Wednesday at Saudi Arabia's ``appallingly inhumane'' treatment of a middle-aged Melbourne man jailed and flogged for a crime he did not commit. Foreign affairs officials have already protested to Saudi Arabia about its treatment of hospital technician Robert Thomas, 55, who was arrested last June and jailed for a theft allegedly committed by his Filipina wife, Lorna. She denied a charge of stealing hospital equipment, but was convicted and, under Saudi Arabia's strict system of Islamic justice, Thomas was held to...

PRIME Minister John Howard yesterday accused protesters who joined anti-war marches around Australia last weekend of "giving comfort" to Saddam Hussein and undermining efforts to disarm Iraq. In remarks certain to provoke an angry response from the thousands of families who joined the 500,000 demonstrators around the nation, Mr Howard said they should be "accountable for their actions". He said while he respected protesters' views, their actions helped the Iraqi dictator. "People who demonstrate and give comfort to Saddam Hussein must understand that, and must realise, that it's a factor in making it that much more difficult to get united...

THE speaker is a young Israeli, a tall lantern-jawed, friendly young man, and his is a view I heard every day for a week in Israel. The Prime Minister may be having his troubles at home, but there is one country where he would win a popularity contest in a canter. The Howard position on Iraq, after decades of support for the Jewish state, has made him a pin-up star in Israel. I didn't go to Israel looking for Howard, but he was everywhere - on television with US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, with his parliamentary speech on Iraq used...

SYDNEY (Reuters) - More than 700 women posed nude on Saturday to protest against Australia's likely involvement in a potential war against Iraq. Lying naked end to end on a grassy knoll in the Australian beach town of Byron Bay, they formed a heart around the words "No War" for an aerial photograph. Australia has sent troops and approved fighter jet deployments to join U.S. and British forces in the Gulf preparing for a possible war in Iraq, but has yet to publicly commit itself to joining any military action in Iraq, whether U.N.-approved or U.S.-led. The women, ranging...

JOHN Howard yesterday delivered his case for restraining Iraq to Australians still sceptical about the nation's involvement in the looming campaign. The Prime Minister used a speech to Parliament on its first sitting day of the year to sum up the Government's case for siding with the US and Britain. He pointedly addressed the unrest of many who have not been convinced the campaign against Iraq is Australia's business and who are unhappy with the prospect of a US-led war. But he said he was still hopeful of a diplomatic solution and war was the last resort. "The Government will...

Australia's Prime Minister John Howard has backed calls from eight European nations to present a united position on Iraq. From Canberra, Jo Pritchard reports. [Pritchard] Mr Howard says there are still various outcomes that could be achieved through the United Nations. [Howard] We could have a resolution that's carried by a majority of the Security Council, but it's vetoed by one country. [Pritchard] He has pointed to the open letter from the leaders of Britain, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Denmark to draw support for a new resolution authorizing the use of force. [Howard] I am...

THEY are the first Australian air crews to put their lives on hold as the nation deploys troops to the Middle East in readiness for a showdown with Iraq. Flight Lieutenant Jann is one of 24 crew on Royal Australian Air Force Orion P-3Cs which fly to the Persian Gulf this week to join coalition aircraft carrier groups. He yesterday bid farewell to his wife Justine, son Daniel, 5, and Katrina, 3. Flt-Lt Jann nursed his son Daniel during yesterday's ceremony, staring at his face – cherishing every last second he could. It was as if he was trying to...

JACK "Jihad" Thomas was arrested in Pakistan 11 days ago but Australian authorities, who had been chasing him since September 2001, yesterday still did not know where he was. As family and friends described the 29-year-old as a gentle man devoted to his religion, a spokesman for the Australian High Commission in Islamabad said consular officials had not yet had access to him. And they had not yet found out where he was being held following his arrest on January 4 on suspicion of links to al-Qaeda. "We have put in a request for access and are awaiting a response,"...

Australian refugee camp riots spreading By Mark Chipperfield in Sydney (Filed: 01/01/2003) Australian authorities were struggling last night to contain rioting and arson in the country's chain of high-security refugee camps.The crisis intensified when dozens of asylum seekers attempted to break out of the Villawood detention centre in a western suburb of Sydney after starting fires and attacking guards with iron bars. The fire damaged refugee camps in Woomera They seized a vehicle and tried to ram it through the gates, but were blocked by a police car. Local people said smoke was pouring from the centre as police moved...

AUSTRALIAN military observers will reportedly join a massive US military exercise in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar to test command systems that would be used in a war with Iraq. The Sydney Morning Herald said today that the classified exercise, called `Internal Look', would begin on Monday, and Australia's inclusion pointed to expectations that it would take part in any US-led war. The paper said the head of the Australian defence staff in Washington, Major-General Simon Willis, had confirmed that Australian officers were expected in Qatar, which was likely to be a nerve centre for any war. It said...

EXACTLY two years ago, as Sydney stood ready for the Olympics, one of the most appalling episodesin the city's history was unfolding. Now, for the first time, Cindy Wockner tells its complete story THERE are condoms scattered in the brown Corona's glovebox, female clothing on the back seat. There's a man named Sam and a white van that pops up more than once. A $50 note at the Harbour Bridge toll booth and a city so dazzled by the Olympic flame it's taken its eyes off the cockroach corners. We're waiting for Cathy Freeman to breast the line, but three...

AN al-Qaeda lieutenant linked to hijacker Mohammed Atta phoned Australian contacts several times before the September 11 attacks. Imaz Eddin Barakat Yarbas, also known as Abu Dahdah, phoned people in Australia between 1996 and the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon. Dahdah, a Syrian whose contact details were found in the diary of one of Atta's subordinates, is now in custody in Spain with several other alleged al-Qaeda members. Atta died at the controls of American Airlines flight 11, which hit New York's World Trade Centre first, in the attacks that killed 3056 people. Dahdah reportedly met...

BAGHDAD: Iraq has protested to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan over what Baghdad called "piracy and provocative acts" by US and Australian naval units against Iraqi vessels in the Gulf, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry says. Foreign Minister Naji Sabri said in a letter to Mr Annan that the US and Australian naval units intercepted Iraqi vessels, interrogated their crews "and sometimes seized the ships and their crews for long periods". He urged Mr Annan to intervene to stop such activities. Giving examples, Mr Sabri said: "Two Australian military boats with 20 armed soldiers aboard attacked Iraq's al-Fida' ferry on June 28...