1500 More Troops to Iraq

1500 More Troops to Iraq

Extended stays for 10,000 raise total to 150,000 – An all time high

by Mariselle Jackson
 
The United States is sending an additional 1,500 troops to Iraq and extending the stays of more than 10,000 others to sure-up security ahead of January’s scheduled elections, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

The deployment will bring the number of U.S. troops in Iraq from a bit under 140,000 to a high of almost 150,000, the Pentagon said.

General George Casey, the commander of the multinational forces in Iraq, asked for the increase to take advantage of energy gained by recent U.S.-led offensives in Falluja against an insurgency that has killed hundreds of troops over the past 18 months, the military said.

“Force posture changes will take advantage of a ‘window of opportunity’ following successful operations in Falluja,” said a news release from U.S. Central Command……..

Two battalions of the 82nd Airborne Division, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, are being sent to Iraq for up to 4 months to provide security for the Iraqi elections, currently set for January 30, the Pentagon said.

Seventeen secular, religious, and regional groups have called for a stay to the elections, but a spokesman for Ayad Allawi said Saturday the interim Iraqi prime minister is against a postponement.

The new troops are part of the 82nd Airborne’s Ready Brigade, a unit that is always on standby to be deployed anywhere on the planet in an hours’ notice.

Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne also were dispatched to Afghanistan to beef up security for the Afghan elections earlier this fall.

In addition to the new troops, two Army brigades, a transportation company and a Marine unit scheduled to return home in January are being kept in Iraq until March.

The delay affects an estimated 10,330 soldiers and Marines, some of whom already have had their service in Iraq extended from 10 months to 12.

The units being held back are the 2nd Brigade of the Army’s 25th Infantry Division, with 4,350 soldiers, currently based in northern Iraq; 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, based in Baghdad, with 3,400 troops; the Army’s 116th Transportation Unit, with 150 soldiers; and 2,280 Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, whose home base is on the Japanese island of Okinawa.

U.S. and Iraqi troops recaptured the insurgent-held city of Falluja last month in a major campaign to restore the interim government’s authority ahead of the coming elections.

U.S., British and Iraqi troops launched a similar operation last week to weed out insurgent positions south of Baghdad.

As of Wednesday, 1,256 Americans and 146 allied troops have died in Iraq since the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion that deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

The January elections are meant to elect a transitional governing body that will draft a new constitution, and the Pentagon has said that voting will represent “the next step towards a more peaceful and stable environment” in the chaotic country.

Iraq’s neighbors tighten their borders

Ministers from Egypt and the countries neighboring Iraq promised Wednesday to strengthen security along their borders in an attempt to prevent insurgent infiltration ahead of the January elections.

“I believe we have reached consensus on just about all the issues we discussed,” said Abdolvahed Mousavi Lari, Iran’s interior minister.

Iraq’s neighbors also committed to teach and equip Iraqi police and national guards to assist the U.S.-backed government host elections as scheduled.

The two-day conference was attended by ministers from Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran — along with Iraq. A special envoy of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan also attended the sessions.

Iraqi Interior Minister Fallah al-Naquib urged neighboring countries to do more to stop the infiltration of terrorists into Iraqi territory. “Any instability in Iraq will impact the whole region,” he told the conference.

Iraq has accused some of its neighbors, particularly Iran and Syria, of not doing enough to stop the influx of insurgents and terrorists from their territories.

The United States has accused Iran of involving itself in Iraq’s affairs by sending men and armaments to destabilize the country.

While Iran has denied these accusation, it said stability in Iraq is of the most important concern. According to the Tehran government, its side of the border is closely watched and any illegal crossings will be halted.

In September, a U.S. delegation directly confronted Syrian President Bashar Assad with facts and evidence that Syrians were assisting militants crossing the border, a senior American government official said.

President Bush had warned Syria before about its failure to police its borders, but the meeting with Assad sent a direct message that this is a very serious situation.