Patrick Townson
Guest
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 Posted:
Tue Nov 23, 2004 10:56 pm Post subject:
Deja Vu All Over Again |
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A message from my cousin, Ken Bryant of interest.
From: "Ken Bryant" <kpbryant@ix.netcom.com>
Sent: Monday, November 22, 2004 11:21 PM
Subject: Deja Vu all over again
| Quote: | Can you say Vietnam? Ah ... there ... I thought you could.
40 years to the day since Lyndon Johnson in 1964.
More Troops May Be Needed in Iraq
Monday, November 22, 2004
Senior military commanders told FOX News that they are considering a
slight increase in combat power in Iraq prior to that country's
elections at the end of January.
The Washington Post, citing unnamed military commanders, reported on
Monday that the top brass is considering increasing the total number of
combat forces to go after terrorists that fled Fallujah after the U.S.
and Iraqi-led offensive there.
U.S. and Iraqi troops continue to clear the last of the resistance from
Fallujah, the main rebel bastion that was stormed Nov. 8 in hopes of
breaking the back of the insurgency before the Jan. 30 election.
American commanders said U.S. and Iraqi forces killed more than 1,000
enemy fighters during the eight-day battle there and found torture
chambers and the suspected headquarters of Al Qaeda-linked terrorist Abu
Musab al-Zarqawi.
The Pentagon last month ordered about 6,500 soldiers in Iraq to extend
their tours by up to two months. Military officers told the Post that
the exact number of extra troops needed is still being reviewed but
estimated it at the equivalent of several battalions, or about 3,000 to
5,000 soldiers. The number of U.S. troops in Iraq fell to nearly 100,000
last spring before rising to 138,000, where it has stayed since the
summer.
Senior commanders told FOX News that the increase being considered in
Iraq will be much like the increase seen in Afghanistan prior to those
elections, but on a bigger scale.
The troop movement in Iraq has always been a possibility, and now with
the success in stomping out much of the insurgency in Fallujah, one
senior commander said: "We have to keep the pressure on."
Lt. Gen. Lance Smith, deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, said
Friday that military leaders will further assess the situation as time
goes on and will look at the impact of the Fallujah operation on the
entire country. Currently, the United States has 18 brigades in Iraq.
"We will expect, by using extensions of some troops that were only
planning on being over there for 10 months, extending them another two
months so that they still would be on the ground, you know, about a
year, and using that to add additional forces over there," Smith said.
"The issue, by the way, is not just numbers. The issue is really about
experienced troops during this period of time of expected increased
violence."
Smith postulated that about an additional brigade's worth of forces may
be needed but that number hasn't yet been finalized. It's not the
military's intent to keep troops in Iraq beyond a year, Smith said. A
brigade is usually 2,500 to 3,500 troops.
"If we believe the security situation requires that, we will make the
appropriate recommendation to the secretary and through our leadership
channels," he added.
Troop numbers could reach about 141,000 to 145,000, Smith said.
The military also hasn't ruled out using the U.S. strategic reserve
forces, he said.
"But again, I think too early to try and decide that until we really see
what's happening with the - after - in the aftermath of Fallujah." |
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