Iraq Push Revives Criticism of Force Size
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The major  U.S. offensive launched last weekend against insurgents in and around Baghdad has significantly expanded the military's battleground in Iraq -- "a surge of operations," and no longer just of troops, as the second-ranking U.S. commander there said yesterday -- but it has renewed concerns...
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The nightmarish beginning to a controversial redeployment has rekindled criticism of Prime Minister Tony Blair&#39;s decision to shift the 850-strong Black Watch Regiment from the relative calm of Basra to Iraq&#39;s deadliest area.
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LONDON -- An appeal by US commanders for British troops to bolster American forces near Baghdad has sparked angry protests here, but Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon indicated in Parliament yesterday that the request would probably be approved later this week.
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BAGHDAD, Iraq - More than 3,000 U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a major operation Tuesday against insurgent strongholds just south of Baghdad, their second mission in five days to wrest control from militants whose attacks threaten national elections seen as crucial to stabilizing this turbulent country...
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Washington -- The US force in Iraq is about to expand to its highest level of the war. The Pentagon says the force of 138,000 today will swell to about 150,000 by the middle of next month.
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The Pentagon says the US force in Iraq will be expanded by nearly 12,000 troops in advance of January elections. More than 10,000 troops currently in that country will have their tours of duty extended.
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Critics say a long-term US military presence may provoke greater Iraqi resistance of the 'occupier.'
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The government faces pressure over plans to send UK troops towards central Iraq to assist US forces.
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The Iraq war has strained U.S. forces to the point where they could not fight another large-scale war, according to a survey of military officers.
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The United States will probably have more troops in Iraq this summer than it did before pouring in forces last year -- even after a planned drawdown, a U.S. general said on Friday.
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Most Iraqis think the recent US troop surge has failed, a new BBC/ABC opinion poll across Iraq suggests.
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The United States plans to increase its military force in Iraq by 12,000 soldiers and Marines, bringing combat strength to the highest level since the invasion in 2003.
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A high-level US congressional delegation visiting Iraq called Thursday for between 15,000 and 30,000 more US troops to be sent to bring stability to the war-torn country.
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Buried in the latest Defense Department quarterly report on Iraq is the disclosure that the Baghdad government is now responsible for setting the size of its security forces, and that it has authorized a level of 550,000 military and police forces -- an increase of more than 40 percent over the...
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The top US commander in Iraq considers cutting troop numbers by about 4,000, media reports say.
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Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has played down suggestions that there could be further UK troop re-deployments in support of US operations in Iraq.
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In rare criticism of US-led forces in Iraq, interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi yesterday blamed foreign troops helping secure the country for