[Peace-discuss] US officials argue against more troops to Iraq

[Ricky Baldwin]

[At tonite's AWARE meeting, we discussed the
importance of writing letters to the editor.  They're
free, and a lot more people read them than read our
flyers or come to our events!  Someone suggested we
post articles to this list that folks can use as an
opportunity to respond. So...
Here's an AP story (the News-Gazete may run part of it
tomorrow?) that's just itching for it: that is, for
someone to write in and say, These are excellent
reasons to end the occupation of Iraq now.  Besides,
the Iraqis don't want us there and we haven't
extablished democracy.  Who supports the troops,
anyway - the ones who put them in harm's way, or the
ones who want to bring 'em home.  We think it's the
ones who say, Bring 'em home now! -- or something
along these lines...  RB]

U.S. Officials Argue Against More Troops 
8/24/03

By GENARO C. ARMAS, Associated Press Writer 

WASHINGTON - Faced with rising numbers of attacks,
sabotage and foreign terrorists, U.S. officials on
Sunday rejected sending more American troops to
stabilize Iraq (news - web sites) but said they would
welcome additional help from other countries. 


AFP  
 Slideshow: Iraq 

 


 
Latest headlines:  
· U.S. Officials Argue Against More Troops 
AP - 6 minutes ago  
· Top general admits US military stretched thin 
AFP - 2 hours, 54 minutes ago  
· Analysts Doubt U.S. Claim on Iraqi Drones 
AP - Sun Aug 24, 6:50 PM ET  
Special Coverage  
 
 

   

Better intelligence and cooperation from the Iraqi
people are key to reversing the tide of violence, said
L. Paul Bremer, the top U.S. civilian official in
Iraq. 


Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, said the United States would welcome a bigger
international presence, but deferred to diplomats on
the thorny question of whether some military control
should be ceded to the United Nations (news - web
sites). 


On CBS' "Face the Nation," Myers said that Gen. John
Abizaid, the U.S. military commander in Iraq, hasn't
asked for more troops, though the Pentagon (news - web
sites) would consider any such request. 


"Whatever Gen. Abizaid or our folks in Iraq or
Afghanistan (news - web sites) need, we're going to
provide them those resources," Myers said. 


Questions about U.S. troop strength in Iraq have
heightened since the truck bombing of U.N.
headquarters in Baghdad last week that killed the
United Nations' top envoy along with at least 23
others. 


There were fresh signs of unrest Sunday, after a bomb
exploded outside the house of one of Iraq's more
important Shiite clerics, killing three guards and
injuring 10 others. 


Also Sunday, the International Committee of the Red
Cross said it was scaling back its work force in
Baghdad after receiving warnings that the organization
might be a terror target. 


Last week, President Bush (news - web sites) said more
foreign "al-Qaida-type fighters" have moved into Iraq.
U.S. officials believe militants from Saudi Arabia,
Syria and Iran are infiltrating the country to attack
Western interests. 


Myers, on NBC's "Meet the Press," said the United
States has not created a haven for terrorists, though
he maintained that Iraq was a big part of the broader
war on terrorism. 


"And what the terrorists want to do is they want to
have their way," Myers said. "And that's just not
going to be. It's more a question of wills right now."



About 150,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq, along with
20,000 international troops who are part of the
U.S.-led coalition. Roughly 50,000 Iraqis are working
with the United States on security matters. 


Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., cited some outside
estimates that another 40,000 to 60,000 soldiers would
be needed. 


"In order to get those, we need a U.N. resolution
authorizing them. We don't have to have these folks
under blue helmets. They can be under U.S. command,"
said Biden, senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee. 


People with specialized skills, such as linguists or
workers who could help rebuild oil refineries and
other infrastructure, are especially needed, said Sen.
John McCain, R-Ariz., a member of the Senate Armed
Services Committee (news - web sites). 


Concerns over how big a role other countries should
play in policing Iraq have also risen because of
increased criticism about overall U.S. military
strength. Besides Iraq, the United States has
long-term commitments in — among other places — Korea,
Kosovo and Afghanistan, and recently deployed a small
peacekeeping force to Liberia (news - web sites). 


"We are stretched thin, but we have more troops to
send," Myers said. 

   



Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, in an interview
with Time magazine, said, "The analysis thus far says
that we have sufficient forces to do the assigned
missions," although the Pentagon is working on
proposals to make the military more efficient. 

Bremer said on CNN's "Late Edition" that the United
States would welcome a greater international presence
in Iraq. As an example, he cited a Polish military
division that was scheduled next month to replace a
U.S. Marine division. 

However, Bremer said on "Fox News Sunday" it was "hard
for me to see how the U.N. itself can play a further
military role because the U.N., in my experience,
normally insists on commanding its own troops." 

At least some U.N. control is a condition that France,
India and other nations have insisted on before
sending troops. Bremer said all military forces should
remain under coalition command. 

"However, the U.N. clearly has a vital role to play in
the reconstruction of Iraq," he said. 

On ABC's "This Week," Bremer cited three U.S. goals:
improving intelligence; encouraging Iraqis to take a
more active role; and reconfiguring forces "to make
them more mobile, so that we can move around easily." 

Despite the continuing violence, Bremer insisted that
the U.S.-led coalition's efforts to fight terrorists
and rebuild the war-torn country would not be slowed. 

"We can't duck this fight," Bremer said. "It's a
fight, as we saw on Tuesday, against the international
community and against the world." 


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