Special Report: Execution of Saddam
Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush is expected to announce Wednesday night that he will send some 21,500 additional American soldiers to Iraq, as part of his new Iraq plan, White House officials said Wednesday.
Of the proposed additional troops, 4,000 would be deployed to the western Anbar province, and 17,500 to the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, to step up security and held stem sectarian violence in the two areas. The first wave of troops could arrive in five days.
As part of the plan, the Iraqi government would deploy additional troops in Baghdad, with the first bridged to be put in place on Feb. 1.
There are currently about 132,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq, and more than 3,000 American military personnel have been killed in the war since it was started in March 2003.
The president is also expected to admit it was a mistake that not enough forces were sent to fight in Iraq in the past.
Bush would call for 5.6 billion U.S. dollars to fund the troop increase, and an additional 1.2 billion dollars in new spending to finance rebuilding and employment programs in Iraq, as an effort to discourage Iraqis from joining the insurgency.
Democratic leaders in Congress have expressed opposition to the idea of sending more troops to Iraq, and have planned to hold a series of hearings on Iraq beginning this week.
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Syria: U.S. occupation in Iraq complicates Mideast issues
DAMASCUS, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal said on Wednesday that the U.S. occupation in Iraq has further complicated problems in the troubled Middle East. Bilal made the remarks while meeting with a visiting Australian parliamentary delegation, according to the official SANA news agency.
Bush discusses Iraq plan with leaders of allies
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 (Xinhua)-- U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday discussed his new Iraq plan with leaders of Japan, Poland, South Korea and Iraq, the White House said.
Bush talked with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun, Polish President Lech Kaczynski and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on the outcome of the recently completed Iraq strategy review, said national security spokesman Gordon Johndroe.
White House: Bush's new Iraq plan rooted in six "fundamental elements"
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- The new Iraq strategy that U.S. President George W. Bush is to unveil Wednesday night is rooted in six "fundamental elements," the White House announced Wednesday.
Bush's new Iraq strategy "is rooted in six fundamental elements," which include: "let the Iraqis lead; help Iraqis protect the population; isolate extremists; create space for political progress; diversify political and economic efforts; and situate the strategy in a regional approach," according to the excerpts of the president's speech released by the White House.
Report: Bush's troop-increase plan expected to draw six guard brigades to Iraq
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush's plan to increase American troop levels in Iraq is expected to require the Army eventually to send as many as six National Guard combat brigades to Iraq, beginning in 2008, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
The increased demand on the National Guard in coming years is a likely by-product of Bush's decision, expected to be announced in a speech Wednesday night, to send five active-duty combat brigades, or about 20,000 troops, to Iraq, starting at the end of this month, the report quoted current and former officials as saying.
