By Charles Aldinger
Washington - The US military will boost its troops in Iraq to 150 000 this month, the highest level since the war began in March 2003, in order to improve security for scheduled January 30 elections, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
The increased total from 138 000 now in Iraq will continue until March and extend the promised year-long Iraq tours of 8 100 Army soldiers to 14 months and the seven-month tours of 2 300 Marines to nine months.
In addition to the battle-hardened troops whose tours are being extended to face a growing insurgency, 1 500 members of the elite 82nd Airborne Division based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, will be sent to Iraq within days and remain for about three months to help bolster security.
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| 'Keep up the pressure on the insurgency after the Falluja operation' |
Previously, the largest number of US troops on the ground in Iraq during the 20-month war was 148 000 in May 2003, defence officials said
"At this point in time, it's going to be (a new total of) 150 000," Army Brigadier General David Rodriguez told a Pentagon news conference.
"The purpose is mainly to provide security for the elections. But it's also to keep up the pressure on the insurgency after the Fallujah operation," he added.
The extended troops will remain in Iraq for two extra months even after their normal rotation replacements have arrived in the coming weeks, Rodriguez said.
Current plans are to reduce the 150 000 troops, requested by US Central Command chief General John Abizaid, back to current levels of less than 140 000 by mid-March.
Army troops whose tours will be extended include 4 400 soldiers from the 2nd Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division based in Hawaii, 3 500 from the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division based at Fort Hood, Texas, and a small truck transportation unit of about 160 troops based in Kleber Klasern, Germany.
About 2 300 Marine troops from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit based in Okinawa will also be extended to about nine months until March, Rodriguez said.
The US military previously sent 1 100 82nd Airborne soldiers to Afghanistan in September to boost security for the presidential election there. Polling took place in Afghanistan on October 9 with little violence.
The Pentagon said that the airborne troops being sent to Iraq in the coming days would not be the same personnel who were sent to Afghanistan.
The Pentagon also temporarily raised the US military presence in Iraq by about 20 000 troops last spring to provide security for the handover of sovereignty to Iraq. It then delayed the scheduled departure of some troops by three months and hastening the arrival of others.
Abizaid had said more troops would be needed to safeguard the election but that would be achieved primarily through more US-trained Iraqi security forces. The Pentagon, however, has acknowledged previous broad problems in training and equipping Iraqi security forces.
Rodriguez said on Wednesday that even if the Iraq election were postponed, the troops who are currently being extended would be coming back to the United States in March.
"The plan is flexible," he said. "They will not be extended any further than this."
Wednesday's announcement brought quick reaction from the US Congress with one senator charging that there were not enough American troops in Iraq to respond to insurgent attacks throughout that country.
"The Pentagon's announcement today is no surprise," said Democratic Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island,
"While our forces in Iraq have been very effective in defeating the insurgents in Fallujah, there are not enough troops to respond to terrorist attacks in all areas of the country - and there are certainly not enough US or Iraqi trained forces to provide adequate security for the elections in January," he added.
(Additional reporting by Will Dunham and Vicki Allen)
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