Escalation - More U.S. Troops Moving Into Iraq

[bigtree]

so much for the Bush line about Iraqi troops taking over and U.S. troops standing down . . ."

March 15, 2006, 09:06 AM

March was supposed to be the month when the U.S. commander in Iraq made a recommendation to pull more troops out of Iraq. Instead, he has asked for more troops to be sent in, reports CBS News National Security correspondent David Martin.

With 133,000 American troops already in Iraq, an armored battalion of about 700 soldiers kept on standby in Kuwait is beginning to move north toward Baghdad. U.S. officials say Gen. George Casey asked for more troops because of a convergence of events, and danger, surrounding the third anniversary of the American invasion.

http://www.wtkr.com/Global/story.asp?S=4634626

[Dhalgren]

1. Is this just propaganda or Bushian confusion?

"Also, Iraq's Interior Minister said that some 421 al-Qaeda fighters tried to infiltrate an Iraqi army battalion that is responsible for guarding all the check points and entrances to the green zone, where the U.S. embassy and key government posts are housed in the Baghdad, reports CBS News correspondent Lara Logan.

Interior Minister Bayan Jabr said security officials had foiled the plot.

A senior Defense Ministry official said the 421 al Qaeda fighters were recruited to storm the U.S. and British embassies and take hostages. Several ranking Defense Ministry officials have been jailed in the plot, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information."

Maybe this is just a poorly written piece and these two incidences are actually the same one, but it sounds like two different events with exactly 421 Al-Qaeda fighters involved...



"Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Tuesday,

"We've always known that there are people who have tried to infiltrate the various security forces and tried to get close access to places that they ought not to be," he said. "There's nothing new about that that I know of."

At least you can count on Herr Rumsfeld to be always the same criminal, "mastermind"...

[bigtree]

2. Its their junta pouring it on thick for the edification of their hosts

'Defense Ministry official'

could it get any more Orwellian?

[bigtree]

3. another reference

U.S. to Send 700 More Soldiers to Iraq

The U.S. military is dispatching an Army battalion of about 700 soldiers to Iraq from their base in Kuwait to provide extra security during the holiday of Ashura, three military officers said Wednesday.

The move, which has not been publicly announced, comes amid a spike in sectarian violence and expectations that it likely will remain a problem as fractious Iraqi political leaders attempt to form a new government.

The 1st Armored Division battalion is expected to move into Iraq in the next few days, one officer said. The two officers who confirmed the move spoke on condition of anonymity because it has not yet been officially announced.

The mechanized infantry battalion that is being sent to Iraq is one of three from the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division that originally were scheduled to deploy to Iraq but were instead held in Kuwait as a standby force in the event Gen. Casey decided he needed extra troops. It's not clear how long the battalion will remain in Iraq, the officers said

http://www.dailycomet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060315/APW/603150654

[Dhalgren]

4. "It's not clear how long the battalion will remain in Iraq,

the officers said." What, in Iraq, is "clear", except death and misery?

[bigtree]

5. They've clearly decided to exploit the escalation of violence to stay

in place.

They should be nailed for claiming that Iraqi troops are assuming more of the burden of their militarism. Every other report contradicts that, from the one about zero ready batallions (down from one), to this one.

They just can't get enough action to satisfy their bloodlust in the Pentagon.

What's most likely is the generals in Iraq don't think they can hold their positions without help. It's not a good sign, for sure.

[Dhalgren]

7. Right. It doesn't matter what kind of spin is applied to this shit,

needing more troops in order to hold on is bad news all the way around. I really am nervous about the casualty rates over the next week or so...

[Just Me]

6. Neoconsters: always doing the opposite of what needs to be done.

It's their freakin' blood-bath ---> the neoconster OWN this bloody disaster!!! :grr:

[bigtree]

8. .