tobedawg
02 Dec 2004, 10:14 AM
..And November was one of the bloodiest months for U.S. Soldiers!!
Oh well.. 4 MORE YEARS! 4 MORE YEARS! -- TD
U.S. sending 1,500 more troops before Iraq vote
Extended stays for 10,000 raises total to all-time high of 150,000
Thursday, December 2, 2004 Posted: 5:45 AM EST (1045 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States is dispatching an additional 1,500 troops to Iraq and extending the stays of more than 10,000 others to bolster security ahead of January's scheduled elections.
In Baghdad, meanwhile, at least five mortar rounds struck at the heart of the city early Thursday, killing one person and wounding a dozen others.
The U.S. troop moves, announced Wednesday, will bring the number of American forces in Iraq from nearly 140,000 to an all-time high of about 150,000, the Pentagon said.
Gen. George Casey, commander of the American-dominated multinational force in Iraq, requested the increase to take advantage of momentum gained by recent U.S.-led offensives against an insurgency that has killed hundreds of American 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 dispatched to Iraq for up to four months in order to provide security for Iraq's elections, currently set for January 30, the Pentagon said.
Seventeen secular, religious and regional groups have called for a delay to the elections, but a spokesman for Ayad Allawi said Saturday the interim Iraqi prime minister is opposed to a postponement. (Full story)
The fresh troops are part of the 82nd Airborne's Ready Brigade, a unit that is constantly on standby to be deployed anywhere in the world on 18 hours' notice.
Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne also were dispatched to Afghanistan to beef up security for the Afghan elections earlier this fall. (Full story)
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 10,360 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 4,400 soldiers, currently based in northern Iraq; 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, based in Baghdad, with 3,500 troops; the Army's 116th Transportation Unit, with 160 soldiers; and 2,300 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 push to restore the interim government's authority ahead of the elections.
U.S., British and Iraqi troops launched a similar operation last week to rout 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 toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
The January elections are meant to elect a transitional parliament that will draft a new constitution, and the Pentagon has said that balloting will represent "the next step towards a more peaceful and stable environment" in the embattled country.
Mortar attack in Baghdad
According to Baghdad police, the mortar attack Thursday was launched from the capital's al Doura district, more than a mile south of the impact sites.
One mortar landed near the offices of Iraqna, a mobile phone company. That attack killed one person and wounded four.
A mortar near Baghdad's technical university wounded eight students. Mortars also landed near Baghdad city offices, the Abu Nawas theater and a Turkish restaurant.
Other developments
Interior 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 pledged to train and equip Iraqi police and border guards and help the U.S.-backed government hold elections as scheduled.
U.S. Marines on Wednesday discovered and disarmed explosives caches near Ramadi General Hospital, a statement from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force said. Three 160 mm mortar rounds were found buried against a wall within 100 meters of the hospital's front door. Nearby, wired for detonation, was "a large improvised explosive device" made from mortars, rockets and a high-explosive artillery round, according to the Marine statement.
Amid a debate over the use of misinformation by the U.S. military, the Pentagon said it is investigating an October incident in which a Marine spokesman gave CNN misleading information about an attack on the Iraqi city of Falluja. (Full story)
U.S. and Iraqi forces detained 15 suspected militants Wednesday during raids in Iraq's Babil province, a U.S. military news release said. The raids were part an operation launched November 24 to rout out insurgent positions south of Baghdad. More than 200 suspected insurgents have been captured during the operation, the release said.
A U.S. soldier died Wednesday after sustaining injuries in a vehicle accident in western Baghdad, according to a military statement. Four other Task Force Baghdad soldiers were injured in the accident. With the death, 1,260 U.S. forces have died in the Iraq war -- 988 in combat, 272 in non-combat situations. Task Force Baghdad is largely made up of the U.S. Army's 1st Cavalry Division.
Oh well.. 4 MORE YEARS! 4 MORE YEARS! -- TD
U.S. sending 1,500 more troops before Iraq vote
Extended stays for 10,000 raises total to all-time high of 150,000
Thursday, December 2, 2004 Posted: 5:45 AM EST (1045 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States is dispatching an additional 1,500 troops to Iraq and extending the stays of more than 10,000 others to bolster security ahead of January's scheduled elections.
In Baghdad, meanwhile, at least five mortar rounds struck at the heart of the city early Thursday, killing one person and wounding a dozen others.
The U.S. troop moves, announced Wednesday, will bring the number of American forces in Iraq from nearly 140,000 to an all-time high of about 150,000, the Pentagon said.
Gen. George Casey, commander of the American-dominated multinational force in Iraq, requested the increase to take advantage of momentum gained by recent U.S.-led offensives against an insurgency that has killed hundreds of American 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 dispatched to Iraq for up to four months in order to provide security for Iraq's elections, currently set for January 30, the Pentagon said.
Seventeen secular, religious and regional groups have called for a delay to the elections, but a spokesman for Ayad Allawi said Saturday the interim Iraqi prime minister is opposed to a postponement. (Full story)
The fresh troops are part of the 82nd Airborne's Ready Brigade, a unit that is constantly on standby to be deployed anywhere in the world on 18 hours' notice.
Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne also were dispatched to Afghanistan to beef up security for the Afghan elections earlier this fall. (Full story)
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 10,360 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 4,400 soldiers, currently based in northern Iraq; 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, based in Baghdad, with 3,500 troops; the Army's 116th Transportation Unit, with 160 soldiers; and 2,300 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 push to restore the interim government's authority ahead of the elections.
U.S., British and Iraqi troops launched a similar operation last week to rout 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 toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
The January elections are meant to elect a transitional parliament that will draft a new constitution, and the Pentagon has said that balloting will represent "the next step towards a more peaceful and stable environment" in the embattled country.
Mortar attack in Baghdad
According to Baghdad police, the mortar attack Thursday was launched from the capital's al Doura district, more than a mile south of the impact sites.
One mortar landed near the offices of Iraqna, a mobile phone company. That attack killed one person and wounded four.
A mortar near Baghdad's technical university wounded eight students. Mortars also landed near Baghdad city offices, the Abu Nawas theater and a Turkish restaurant.
Other developments
Interior 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 pledged to train and equip Iraqi police and border guards and help the U.S.-backed government hold elections as scheduled.
U.S. Marines on Wednesday discovered and disarmed explosives caches near Ramadi General Hospital, a statement from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force said. Three 160 mm mortar rounds were found buried against a wall within 100 meters of the hospital's front door. Nearby, wired for detonation, was "a large improvised explosive device" made from mortars, rockets and a high-explosive artillery round, according to the Marine statement.
Amid a debate over the use of misinformation by the U.S. military, the Pentagon said it is investigating an October incident in which a Marine spokesman gave CNN misleading information about an attack on the Iraqi city of Falluja. (Full story)
U.S. and Iraqi forces detained 15 suspected militants Wednesday during raids in Iraq's Babil province, a U.S. military news release said. The raids were part an operation launched November 24 to rout out insurgent positions south of Baghdad. More than 200 suspected insurgents have been captured during the operation, the release said.
A U.S. soldier died Wednesday after sustaining injuries in a vehicle accident in western Baghdad, according to a military statement. Four other Task Force Baghdad soldiers were injured in the accident. With the death, 1,260 U.S. forces have died in the Iraq war -- 988 in combat, 272 in non-combat situations. Task Force Baghdad is largely made up of the U.S. Army's 1st Cavalry Division.