Seoul is within artillery range of North Korea, which beyond nuclear and conventional weapons is also believed to have a sizable chemical and biological arsenal. Asked whether there were any military options the United States could take with North Korea that would not put Seoul at grave risk, Mattis said: "Yes there are. Military drillsThe US military said on Monday it had staged bombing drills with South Korea, flying a pair of B-1B bombers and F-35 fighter jets over the Korean peninsula, in a show of force against North Korea. Still, despite heated rhetoric and posturing in the United States and North Korea, there has been no positioning of US military assets to suggest a military conflict is imminent. Even as tensions rise, the United States and its allies have stuck to a hands-off policy when North Korea test-fires its missiles.

Source: bd News24 September 19, 2017 03:56 UTC