More helicopters, US troops added to force in north-central Iraq: general

[leftchick]

http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?ID=36003

WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (AFP) - The US military has doubled the number of helicopters and added an extra brigade to its forces in a troubled area of north-central Iraq to keep the pressure on insurgents ahead of January 30 elections, a top general said Thursday.

Major General John Batiste predicted that the elections will be held successfully in all four provinces where his forces operate -- Salahuddin, Diyala, Tamim and Kurdish Sulaimaniyah -- but acknowledged difficulties with security in two key cities: Samarra and Bayji.

"We will succeed in all four of our provinces," he told reporters in a video teleconference from Iraq. "In Samarra and Bayji, we are still working through some problems."

Salahuddin is one of four provinces that Lieutenant General Thomas Metz, the number-two US commander in Iraq, said last week were not yet secure enough to hold elections.

Batiste said the 43,000 Iraqi security forces in his area will be directly responsible for security at polling stations but US quick-reaction forces will be ready "to stomp on the insurgent when he raises his ugly head."

"My 25,000 soldiers -- and by the way, that includes an extra brigade and twice the helicopters -- will be in full support," he said.

"We will be working with our Iraqi security force partners to make sure what they're doing makes sense, to make sure that if they don't, we're there to mentor and advise," he said.

[Oversea Visitor]

1. Call it off and get out.

Imagine US soldiers standing around during the election. These guys are going to be standing targets. Look at the suituation now. It is escalating into a total bloodbath for election day. Its over there is nothing left to prove anymore.

Better still just dont hold the election. Not worth putting all the soldiers in danger and getting so many innocents kill. Its over MR BUSH stop getting your americans citizen kill in Iraq.

[Redstone]

2. So how come we provide that kind of security

to protect the elections in Iraq, but not in, for example, Ohio?

Redstone

[SlavesandBulldozers]

5. because Iraqis are used to dictators

you have to transition america slowly.

[bemildred]

3. Send them some handcuffs, too. nt

[jmcgowanjm]

4. New news, General

IRR 011205

“Election commission” for Salah ad-Din Province resigns.
Five Iraqi provinces reject election farce.

The so-called “Supreme Election Commissioner” in charge
of supervising the sham “election” farce in Salah ad-
Din Province, together with the 12 members of the
commission, have resigned their posts as of
Wednesday. Mafkarat al-Islam reported from Tirkit that
the commissioner took the step after receiving threats from
the Iraqi Resistance.

Mosul

Minutes after that first explosion, a second car bomb went off at
a US checkpoint in the al-Islah az-Zira‘i neighborhood.
According to a source in the local Fire Department, the
boming killing four American soldiers and three
Kurdish chauvinist Peshmergah collaborator gunmen.

Then a third car bomb exploded at an intersection in the center
of the industrial area in the north of Mosul, destroying several
US military vehicles and killing a large number of
American soldiers. The correspondent was unable to
ascertain figures on the casualties in that blast,
because American snipers had deployed around the
area, making it impossible for him to approach
it.

A high official in the al-Walid Emergency Center in Mosul told
the correspondent, however, that the afternoon attack
probably left more than 30 dead and more than 15
injured among the American forces. He expressed the fear
that the US was likely to mount a major offensive on
Mosul, complaining that the Resistance attacks were “giving
the Americans an argument for launching a big
attack.”

And, Turkey will invade Iraq after the Jan 30 "election".