Spy Photos
12. Qatar, 2002
Taken by DigitalGlobe, a commercial satellite company, this image of
the U.S.-leased Al Udeid airbase in the tiny Persian Gulf country of
Qatar quickly and visibly drew domestic and international attention
to the ongoing U.S. military buildup in the Persian Gulf in
preparation for a possible war with Iraq. The image, which the
GlobalSecurity.org Web site made public, was the single most
requested image in the Web site's history, generating stories by
major U.S. and foreign broadcast, print, and other media. The planes
to the right are KC-135R Stratotanker refuelers, while the lone
plane to the left is a C-17 Globemaster transport.