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General Schwarzkopf promises to stick with the air blitzkrieg until it has achieved its objective. But the pressure to launch the ground attack will soon increase. Says Lawrence Freedman, professor of war studies at King's College, University of London: "The allies won't leave it too long into February because they need to get ((the war)) over during March."
In a few weeks the weather in the gulf will turn hot. The Islamic fast days of Ramadan will arrive, then the pilgrimage of the faithful to the holy cities in Saudi Arabia. Calls to get the war over with will mount. The longer Bush resists them, the better. Allied victory is assured, but the steady pounding of air power will hold to a minimum the bloodshed Saddam is so desperate to inflict.