Any US action against North Korea would include deploying special forces to destroy the Communist country’s nuclear, missile, and nonconventional weapons sites, a commander said.
Any potential American military offensive against North Korea would include deploying special forces to destroy the Communist country’s nuclear, missile, and nonconventional weapons sites, a senior commander told Congress on Tuesday.
Army Gen. Raymond A. Thomas, who heads US Special Operations Command, told lawmakers on Tuesday that the United States has special operations forces permanently stationed in the Korean peninsula, The Washington Free Beacon reported.
The Army, Navy, and Air Force can also deploy additional special forces if the need arises, as there are 8,000 specially trained troops in over 80 countries, Thomas said.
‘We are actively pursuing a training path to ensure readiness for the entire range of contingency operations in which [special operations forces] , to include our exquisite [countering weapons of mass destruction] capabilities, may play a critical role, ‘ Thomas told a Congressional subcommittee on emerging threats.
‘We are looking comprehensively at our force structure and capabilities on the peninsula and across the region to maximize our support to US [Pacific Command] and [US Forces Korea] . This is my warfighting priority for planning and support.’
Satellite images show activity has resumed at North Korea’s nuclear site, a US-based analysts has claimed amid fears Kim Jong-un is plotting a sixth atomic test.
Pictures of the Punggye-ri site captured on April 25 appear to show workers pumping out water at a tunnel believed to have been prepared for an upcoming nuclear test.
Monitoring group 38 North also noted that a large number of personnel were seen throughout the facility, with some groups possibly playing volleyball.
North Korea is on a mission to develop a long-range missile capable of hitting the US mainland with a nuclear warhead, and has so far staged five nuclear tests, two of them last year.
Tensions have been on the rise as both North Korea and the United States threaten war.
Pyongyang on Wednesday said that Japan can expect to be ‘blanketed with radioactive clouds’ if nuclear war breaks out.
North Korea issued a threat to US allies in the region in a newspaper commentary called ‘Japan’s Reckless Act Which Drives Itself into Ruin.’
It warned Japan to expect the biggest impact should any conflict arise out of the crisis on the Korean Peninsula.
The Rodong Sinmun state newspaper said: ‘First of all, Japan, which is the US forces’ logistics, launch and sorties bases, would be blanketed with radioactive clouds if a nuclear war occur on the Korean Peninsula.’
According to Yonhap, the paper claimed it would be a ‘piece of cake’ for the North Korean army to strike Japan.
‘Not only those who try to harm us but their supporters will not be safe if any war breaks out, ‘ the paper said, adding that Tokyo should try to ease the crisis peacefully.
China on Wednesday called on all parties in the Korean standoff to stay calm and ‘stop irritating each other’ a day after North Korea said the United States was pushing the region to the brink of nuclear war.
The US has urged China, reclusive North Korea’s lone major ally, to do more to rein in its neighbor’s nuclear and missile programs which have prompted an assertive response from the Trump administration, warning that the ‘era of strategic patience’ is over.
The United States has sent a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to Korean waters and a pair of strategic US bombers flew training drills with the South Korean and Japanese air forces in another show of strength this week.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, asked about the bomber flights, the drills and North Korea’s response, stressed that the situation was ‘highly complex’ and sensitive.
‘The urgent task is to lower temperatures and resume talks, ‘ he told reporters.
‘We again urge all relevant parties to remain calm and exercise restraint, stop irritating each other, work hard to create an atmosphere for contact and dialogue between all sides, and seek a return to the correct path of dialogue and negotiation as soon as possible.’
The flight of the two bombers came as President Donald Trump raised eyebrows when he said he would be ‘honored’ to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the right circumstances, and as his CIA director landed in South Korea for talks.
North Korea said the bombers conducted ‘a nuclear bomb dropping drill against major objects’ in its territory at a time when Trump and ‘other US warmongers are crying out for making a preemptive nuclear strike’ on the North.
‘The reckless military provocation is pushing the situation on the Korean peninsula closer to the brink of nuclear war, ‘ the North’s official KCNA news agency said on Tuesday.
Tension on the Korean peninsula has been high for weeks, driven by concern that the North might conduct its sixth nuclear test in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions.
The U. S. military’s THAAD anti-missile defence system has reached initial operational capacity in South Korea, US officials told Reuters, although they cautioned that it would not be fully operational for some months.
China has repeatedly expressed its opposition to the system, whose powerful radar it fears could reach inside Chinese territory, just as Trump has praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for his efforts to rein in North Korea.
It was widely feared North Korea could conduct a nuclear test on or around April 15 to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of the North’s founding leader, Kim Il Sung, or on April 25, the 85th anniversary of the foundation of its Korean People’s Army.
The North has conducted such tests or missile launches to mark significant events in the past.
Instead, North Korea held a big military parade featuring a display of missiles on April 15 and then a large, live-fire artillery drill 10 days later.
Trump drew criticism in Washington on Monday when he said he would be ‘honored’ to meet North Korea’s young leader.
