TOP GENERAL: WE WILL SUFFER 37,000 CASUALTIES

A GULF War hero yesterday spoke out against a new attack on Iraq.

Major General Patrick Cordingley, 57, who led the British 7 Armoured Brigade - The Desert Rats - in 1991, said: "I am absolutely opposed to war.

"I feel very strongly that it is wrong. There is no justification for sending British troops to Iraq. The case for war has not yet been made by the politicians."

It is estimated that around 15 per cent of invading troops would be wounded or killed in an assault on Baghdad - 37,000 soldiers in a total force of 250,000. The recently retired general said the dossier of evidence against Saddam would not prove the case for a war, adding: "I don't think they have much (evidence), frankly".

Meanwhile, the leader of Bahrain yesterday branded US military action against Iraq as harmful for the whole region.

Traditionally an American ally, Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Sulman said: "There is a strong intention to strike and a clear Arab and Muslim stance is required. Such an attack would harm the whole region."

He added that the offer to readmit weapons inspectors "had removed any reasons to continue threats".