Ugly the War: Iraq Watch Specials
From Peace No War Network
December 1, 2004
Los Angeles Times has a
complete biographical Information on U.S. Soldiers Killed:
U.S. to Send 12,000 More Troops to Iraq
By ROBERT BURNS
.c The Associated Press
By ROBERT BURNS
.c The Associated Press
A U.S. soldier lies dead on the kitchen floor
of a house in Fallujah which was used as a base by insurgent fighters.
The soldier was shot and killed as he entered the room. Two other
soldiers were also wounded by the insurgents, who escaped.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States is expanding its military force in Iraq to the highest level of the war - even higher than during the initial invasion in March 2003 - in order to bolster security in advance of next month's national elections in January.
The 12,000-troop increase is to last only until March, but it says much about the strength and resiliency of an insurgency that U.S. military planners did not foresee when Baghdad was toppled in April 2003.
Brig. Gen. David Rodriguez, deputy operations director of the Joint Staff, told reporters Wednesday that the American force will expand from 138,000 troops today to about 150,000 by January.
The previous high for the U.S. force in Iraq was 148,000 on May 1, 2003, when President Bush declared that major combat operations were over and most soldiers thought the war had been won. The initial invasion force included thousands of sailors on ships in the Persian Gulf and other waters, plus tens of thousands in Kuwait and other surrounding countries.
The expansion in Iraq will be achieved by sending about 1,500 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, N.C., this month and by extending the combat tours of about 10,400 troops already in Iraq.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld approved the moves Wednesday, according to a Pentagon statement.
``They are the most experienced and best-qualified forces to sustain the momentum of post-Fallujah operations and to provide for additional security for the upcoming elections,'' the statement said.
The Pentagon originally expected to train and equip enough Iraqi government forces to fill the security gap in the weeks leading up to the elections, but that hope was not fulfilled.
The military is reluctant to extend soldiers' combat tours because of the potential negative effect it could have on their families, and thus on their willingness to remain in the service. In this case, Gen. George Casey, the most senior U.S. commander in Iraq, decided it was necessary to keep up pressure on the insurgents while also providing security for the elections.
One unit, the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, is being extended for the second time. Its soldiers originally were told they would be going home in November at the end of a 10-month assignment, but in October they got the news that they would remain until mid-January. Now they are being extended until mid-March.
The 2nd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry and most of the other extended units will end up serving about 14 months in Iraq, exceeding by two months the 12-month standard set by the Army.
Rodriguez listed these unit extensions:
About 4,400 troops of the 2nd Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division, which is operating in north-central Iraq, will stay until mid-March, instead of departing in early January. Those soldiers' home bases are mostly in Hawaii.
About 3,500 soldiers of the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry, will be extended until March. These are the soldiers who originally were told they would be leaving Iraq in November.
About 2,300 members of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, based in Okinawa, Japan and in Hawaii, and California, will stay until mid-March instead of leaving in January.
About 160 soldiers of the 66th Transportation Company, based in Germany, was due to depart Iraq in early January but instead will stay until early March.
The 82nd Airborne is generally relied upon by the Army to keep one of its three brigades on short-notice alert year-round to deploy abroad in the event of a crisis. Shortly before the October elections in Afghanistan, about 600 members of the 82nd Airborne were sent there to strengthen security.
Military officials have said repeatedly in recent weeks that they were considering whether more American troops would be required to provide sufficient security before Iraqis vote.
The moves announced Wednesday are in line with expectations - a combination of holding some troops in Iraq longer than scheduled and sending some fresh forces from the United States.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., a critic of the administration's handling of the war, said the Pentagon's announcement confirmed that the effort to stabilize Iraq would take years, with no certainty of success.
``This announcement makes it clear that commanders in Iraq need more troops and that this will be a long and very expensive process for the United States,'' Reed said. ``It is still not clear whether Iraq will emerge from this chronic violence as a viable and stable country.''
Officials have said they were considering sending some elements of the 3rd Infantry to Iraq earlier than scheduled, as part of a force-bolstering plan. But Rodriguez said it was decided that no units will have their deployments accelerated as part of the pre-election security effort.
Security problems are most severe in the area north and west of Baghdad, as well as in the capital itself. Voter registration has not yet begun in the more unstable cities such as Fallujah and Ramadi, west of Baghdad.
Recently there also has been trouble in the northern city of Mosul. On Wednesday, U.S. soldiers traveling through Mosul on a mission to discuss the January election with Iraqis came under fire at a gasoline station, witnesses said. One U.S. soldier was wounded in the ensuing gunbattle.
12/01/04 17:29 EST
For more photos and Videos from Iraq, visit:
"Report from Baghdad" July, 2003
http://www.actionla.org/Iraq/IraqReport/intro.html
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Peace, No War
War is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate
Not in our Name! And another world is possible!
Information for antiwar movements, news across the World, please visit:
http://www.PeaceNoWar.net
Please Join PeaceNoWar Listserv, send e-mail to: peacenowar-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
Please Donate to Peace No War Network!
Send check pay to:
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1013 Mission St. #6
South Pasadena CA 91030
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**"Report From Baghdad" CD-ROM**
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Please Visit the Website: http://www.actionla.org/Iraq/IraqReport/intro.html
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