WASHINGTON - An American military strike on Iraq could be delayed until March to give Washington more time to win over reluctant allies and build up its forces in the Gulf.

Despite a wave of deployment orders issued by Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld over the past five weeks, the Pentagon has only begun sending major combat elements to the Persian Gulf and cannot assemble the force required for an invasion of Iraq until late next month or early March, defence officials and analysts told the Washington Post yesterday.

The military timetable provides a cushion for the Bush administration's efforts to enlist the support of reluctant allies on the United Nations Security Council, notably Germany and France.

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