Defense Department Report, August 25: More U.S. Troops to Iraq
Temporary deployment aimed at added security for upcoming Iraqi elections
The Defense Department announced its plan August 24 to deploy additional U.S. military forces to Iraq on a temporary
basis to increase security in advance of Iraqi elections.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld approved a request for 1,500 more troops from Army General George Casey who serves as
the commander of ground forces in Iraq. The new deployment of two infantry battalions from the 82nd Airborne Division at
Fort Bragg, North Carolina, will help bolster security for a four-month period.
Casey’s request for additional support was made in consultation with and with the support of the Iraqi government.
Even though the 180,000 Iraqi security forces will still have primary responsibility for maintaining a secure
environment for the upcoming elections, Iraqi government and coalition officials anticipate a greater potential for
threats in the lead-up to voting.
There are now approximately 138,000 U.S. military personnel serving in Iraq.
Army Major General Rick Lynch told reporters in Baghdad August 25 that attacks by insurgent forces in Iraq are still
confined primarily to four of the 18 Iraqi provinces. This reinforces the current military analysis that the insurgency
has “no groundswell of support” in the country, he said. Recent insurgent attacks in Iraq do not indicate a growing
insurgency because the insurgency needs a national support base to expand its effort, the military spokesman said,
something it does not currently have.
In other news of Iraq, a new contingent of Salvadoran troops has rotated into al-Hillah in the central part of the
country to advise and train Iraqi security forces. The contingent also is focused on civil-military cooperation and
humanitarian assistance functions such as health care and education. An earlier group of Salvadorans worked on building
water supply and sewage systems, among other projects.