Article Search

 No reduction of US troops in Iraq - Pentagon
    July 28 2006 at 04:44AM Get IOL on your
mobile at m.iol.co.za

By Pauline Jelinek

Washington - The United States military is signalling that it will maintain or possibly increase the current level of about 130 000 troops in Iraq as commanders develop a plan to move as many as 5 000 soldiers with heavy armour into embattled Baghdad.

The Pentagon announced Thursday that roughly 21 000 Army soldiers and Marines have been told they are scheduled to go to Iraq during the current 2006-2008 rotation.

Combined with two previous announcements of about 113 000 American service members scheduled for this rotation period, this could bring the number of US troops there to as many as 134 000, if all units are deployed.
Continues Below ↓





Military commanders have said they will determine what units are sent depending on conditions in Iraq. The latest announcement calls into question suggestions that the Pentagon could reduce troop levels in Iraq significantly by year's end.

Defence officials who revealed the plan to reinforce the capital said the soldiers will use armoured vehicles and tanks to quell escalating violence in the capital.

As part of the plan, Defence Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld extended the tours on Thursday of 3 500 members of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. The unit was scheduled to be leaving now; instead, most of its 3 900 troops will serve for up to four more months.

It was unclear whether the Stryker troops, who are in northern Iraq, would be among those going to Baghdad.

Under the plan to bolster security in Baghdad, US troops would be teamed with Iraqi police and army units and make virtually every operation in the city a joint effort, one military official said. Another said movement of some troops into Baghdad already had begun.

As part of the Baghdad security plan, all flights out for soldiers currently at the end of their deployment were cancelled as of Tuesday as commanders wrestled with the plan and how to supply troops needed for it, a third official said.

All spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan had not been completed, and discussions were private.

President George Bush broadly outlined a plan to increase US and Iraqi forces in Baghdad during Tuesday's visit to Washington by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Little detail was provided.

Officials said it would involve shifting some US forces to the capital from other locations in the country. About 30 000 US troops were in Baghdad before the new plan.

Assembling more troops and armour in Baghdad is aimed at calming violence that has increased in the capital since mid-June, when al-Maliki launched the city's biggest security crackdown since the US-led invasion.

As part of the new plan, about four companies of military police, or about 400 soldiers, are moving to Baghdad, and the remainder of a reserve force that had been in Kuwait - around another 400 troops - also has gone into Iraq, officials said this week.

Defence experts inside and outside the Pentagon worry that diverting US troops to Baghdad could weaken their ability in other parts of the country. They say the plan reverses an earlier effort to make Americans less visible and put Iraqi forces out front in the fight.

Others argued that Baghdad is the central problem at the moment, and Iraqis in the capital will feel safer with the heavier armoured presence.

William Patey, Britain's ambassador to Iraq, said Wednesday the security problem was made worse because Iraqis have lost confidence in the police, and evidence suggests some members of the police are linked to Shi'a militias and Sunni insurgent groups.

Asked if bringing tanks and armour back to Baghdad would run counter to plans for reducing the visibility of US forces, one military official said: "There is definitely a fine line between overwhelming amounts of combat power versus enough to make you feel safe.

"I don't think we're talking a tank on every street corner," the official said.

About 3 500 members of the Stryker brigade still were in Iraq Thursday, but about 200 had returned to their bases in Alaska and another 200 were in Kuwait awaiting transportation home.

According to the Army, officials would determine on a case-by-case basis whether any of the soldiers in Alaska or Kuwait should return to Iraq. Most of those in Alaska probably will be able to stay, but those determined to be essential personnel may have to return to the battlefront.

Rumsfeld has extended tours of duty earlier in the war, including several times late last year when US forces were increased to deal with violence in connection with Iraqi elections.

The move to bolster Baghdad security comes amid growing concern about the course of the three-year-old war among US lawmakers and the American public. - Sapa-AP

Email StoryPrint Story
BOOKMARK THIS STORY
Social bookmarking allows users to save and categorise a personal collection of bookmarks and share them with others. This is different to using your own browser bookmarks which are available using the menus within your web browser.

Use the links below to share this article on the social bookmarking site of your choice.

Read more about social bookmarking at Wikipedia - Social Bookmarking

muti



     Related Articles
More Middle East stories

Watch IOLs latest videos on YouTube Join IOLs Facebook page Follow IOL on Twitter





     Online Services

Date Your Destiny
 
I'm a 30 year old man looking to meet women between the ages of 20 and 30.
 

     More Services

     More Middle East Stories

     Breaking News      Most Read Stories
      Top News Stories
      Top World Stories
      Top Reads - Yesterday



     Entertainment      Motoring
'Twenty-five years feels right in my bones'
Radio station in a knot over wedding dilemma
Driver dies in Miley Cyrus tour bus crash

     Business
Hershey may launch bid for Cadbury
Global stocks slip, dollar gains on economy fears
Difficult times bring a rise in false claims
Well-mannered Porsche - just built to race
Kia's latest baby - she's even smaller than a Picanto
Communist cousins in demand from behind the Wall
Amid Expo back in 2010 despite poor sales
Triumph recalls Sprint 1050 ST

     Travel
Berlin hipster hotel taps bygone spirit
River Plate reflect on the past
Still hope for the Garden Route
Marrying great music with fine food
Beaujolais nouveau hot in Japan
     Careers
For many, full potential goes unharnessed
Getting to grips with the transport industry
To be your own boss, believe in yourself first
Salary survey puts unstable economy into the equation
Development of child is key