Rumsfeld: Troops May Stay Longer in Iraq

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Rumsfeld: Troops May Stay Longer in Iraq

By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - American commanders are considering whether to send more forces into Iraq (news - web sites) to help quell a surge in violence, and some troops scheduled to leave soon might have to stay longer, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Wednesday.


In the clearest signal yet that U.S. officials are likely to take steps to increase the overall number of troops in Iraq, the defense secretary said officials would "be managing" the pace of troop rotations to ensure that seasoned troops now in Iraq would remain to see the current spate of violence through.

Rumsfeld said the commander of American forces in the region, Gen. John Abizaid, and his deputies have not asked yet for more troops or an order delaying the departure of any soldiers.

"You can be certain that if they want more troops, we will sign deployment orders so that they'll have the troops they need," Rumsfeld said at a Pentagon (news - web sites) news conference with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers.

In Congress, leading Democrats suggested that talk of sending more troops was reminiscent of Vietnam. Republicans urged resolve.

"We must win," said Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore. "We must not have the will of the American people broken by the naysayers."

Rumsfeld also said the military had captured some of the people believed responsible for last week's killing and mutilation of four U.S. civilian security officers.

He denied that the violence in Iraq was spinning out of control.

American forces are in the midst of a rotation, as troops who have been there a year are replaced by fresh forces. That gives the United States the advantage of thousands of extra forces there during the switch over to deal with new fighting that has broken out in cities across the country.

"We're taking advantage of that increase, and we will likely be managing the pace of the redeployments to allow those seasoned troops with experience and relationships with the local populations to see the current situation through," Rumsfeld said.

Abizaid has been looking into the question of where additional troops would come from, should they be needed. Abizaid spoke with President Bush (news - web sites) and his national security team via a secure video conference call Wednesday and did not ask for extra troops, a senior defense official said after the news conference.

Asked if orders to go home had been put on hold, the official said, "Not yet." That official spoke on condition of anonymity.

Rumsfeld said the violence, which has claimed nearly three dozen American lives since last weekend, is the work of a few "thugs, gangs and terrorists" and was not a popular uprising over the U.S.-led occupation.

"The number of people that are involved in those battles are relatively small," Rumsfeld said. "And there's nothing like an army or ... large elements of hundreds of people trying to overthrow or to change the situation. You have a mixture of a small number of terrorists, a small number of militias, coupled with some demonstrations and some lawlessness."

Myers said the fighting came in two broad categories. West of Baghdad in cities such as Ramadi and Fallujah, the main opposition is "former regime loyalists," including supporters of former president Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), and anti-American foreign fighters loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

In Fallujah, where the civilian contractors were killed and mutilated, raids by troops have netted the arrests of nine people, including some believed responsible, Rumsfeld said.

In the eastern sections of Baghdad and in a half-dozen cities in southern Iraq, the fighting is the doing of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and those who support him, Myers said.

Rumsfeld and Myers said al-Sadr had between 1,000 and 6,000 followers. A Central Command official said Monday that his Al-Mahdi Army numbers about 3,000 fighters.

It's unclear whether al-Sadr's militia is the only group fighting in those areas, Myers said.

American and coalition forces do not control the holy Shiite city of Najaf in southern Iraq, Rumsfeld said. Iraqis asked the coalition to stay out of the city during a pilgrimage, Rumsfeld said. Al-Sadr's militia has been active in Najaf.

Rumsfeld and Myers repeatedly referred to al-Sadr as a murderer. Al-Sadr has called on his followers to reject the occupation.

While those attacking U.S. and coalition forces share al-Sadr's anti-American philosophy, there's no evidence of nationwide coordination of the fighting, Myers said.

"It's not a Shiite uprising. Sadr has a very small following," Myers said.

[robini123]

Hopefully nobody is stunned by this news. If they were, then they need to wake up.