France Armed Forces Kuwait

The delicate task of CLEARING AN ESTIMATED 40,000 IRAQI MINES from Kuwait's beaches will take UP TO FOUR MONTHS, French army experts said this week. "What's for sure is that Kuwaitis won't be going to the beach this summer," said the commander of a mine-clearing unit. In one day, he said, his unit found 135 mines along 100 yards of beach. Iraqi troops laid mines along the coast in preparation for a massive allied amphibious assault that never came.

Twenty minutes is the limit when hunting land mines, according to French army engineer Jacques Daman. After 20 minutes, knees begin to ache, sweat stings the eyes and even the steadiest of hands can begin to shake uncontrollably. One wrong move and. . . . Twenty minutes on, 40 minutes off, eight hours a day, probing the sands of liberated Kuwait with little more than a small shovel and one's own nerves. "The objective," said Daman, 32, "is to give the Kuwaiti people their liberty.

Twenty minutes is the limit when hunting land mines, according to French army engineer Jacques Daman. After 20 minutes, knees begin to ache, sweat stings the eyes and even the steadiest of hands can begin to shake uncontrollably. One wrong move and. . . . Twenty minutes on, 40 minutes off, eight hours a day, probing the sands of liberated Kuwait with little more than a small shovel and one's own nerves. "The objective," said Daman, 32, "is to give the Kuwaiti people their liberty.

The delicate task of CLEARING AN ESTIMATED 40,000 IRAQI MINES from Kuwait's beaches will take UP TO FOUR MONTHS, French army experts said this week. "What's for sure is that Kuwaitis won't be going to the beach this summer," said the commander of a mine-clearing unit. In one day, he said, his unit found 135 mines along 100 yards of beach. Iraqi troops laid mines along the coast in preparation for a massive allied amphibious assault that never came.

President Bush announced a suspension of hostilities in the Persian Gulf War Wednesday night, declaring to the nation and the world: "Kuwait is liberated. Iraq's army is defeated. Our military objectives are met." Speaking from the Oval Office just 97 hours after U.S. and allied forces stormed into Iraq and Kuwait, the President said the coalition would suspend all offensive combat operations at midnight EST, and laid out conditions that Iraq must satisfy to make the suspension permanent.

President Bush announced a suspension of hostilities in the Persian Gulf War Wednesday night, declaring to the nation and the world: "Kuwait is liberated. Iraq's army is defeated. Our military objectives are met." Speaking from the Oval Office just 97 hours after U.S. and allied forces stormed into Iraq and Kuwait, the President said the coalition would suspend all offensive combat operations at midnight EST, and laid out conditions that Iraq must satisfy to make the suspension permanent.