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UK troops 'ready to invade Iraq'General dismisses claims soldiers are underfed
KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait -- British troops are ready to invade Iraq if and when the order comes, their chief of staff said Friday. Gen. Mike Jackson, visiting members of the First Battalion Royal Irish Regiment in Kuwait, said his troops would be fully operational within a week after a couple of ships arrive with non-essential supplies. "Four to five days would be ideal," he told reporters. "But even if it was today, it's good to go." Jackson would not say if or when an invasion might happen, calling it a political decision, Reuters reported. The general dismissed claims from some British troops in the Gulf that their sons were underfed, not fully equipped and suffering from low morale. "If anything, I'm a little concerned it may be too comfortable," Jackson said. "If they are required to do a dangerous job in difficult circumstances they must get used to those circumstances." Dozens of relatives of troops say they have received letters and e-mails from soldiers complaining of "absolutely appalling" conditions as they are given just one meal a day. One parent whose son is currently in Kuwait told Britain's ITV television: "He is telling us that morale is so low because of this lack of food. "He is nervous ... because nobody really knows what is going to happen and nobody really wants this war," said the parent, who wanted to remain anonymous to protect his son's identity. His wife said her son was being given just one bucket of water a day to drink and wash with. Another parent told the BBC her son, a commando in the Royal Marines in the Gulf, had similar complaints. In an e-mail sent just six days ago, her son said: "Food situation still bad. One small ration pack for lunch now but meals still small and inadequate. "Kit requested still not received - everything from desert boots and the right sort of camouflage to vehicles and weapons. "Scrounging everything off the Americans. As it stands, people here will die." Defense Minister Lewis Moonie denied there were food shortages, saying the reports were "isolated incidents." He told the BBC that U.S. and British troops "share a logistical chain," which means they share the same food. "They get a cooked meal morning and night, they get ration packs to take out into the desert with them when they are out on exercises. "Their diet is about 4,000 calories a day which is absolutely enough to keep people well nourished in any circumstances. "I can't say there are no isolated incidents of any lack of equipment happening, so any incidents like this we will be happy to investigate and see what's happening."
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