Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq    

    WASHINGTON, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Defense Department said Monday that the American military "surge" in Iraq to help quell sectarian violence in the war-torn country would maintain until August this year.

    The U.S. military was maintaining a troop level of 20 combat brigades in Iraq, and with additional troops rotating into Iraq, the buildup would continue at that level through August 2007, said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman.

    Whitman said the Pentagon had decided to deploy 7,000 troops to replace units on their way out of Iraq, which would help the reinforcements to remain in Iraq until August. Meanwhile, about 2,000 military police would be deployed to Iraq to guard prisoners.

    President George W. Bush announced in January that some 21,500 additional troops would be deployed to Iraq, and defense officials announced later that thousands support troops would also be sent to the country.

    Currently there are about 145,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, and over 3,200 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq since the war started in March 2003.