U.S. forces in Iraq number 145,000

[Barrett808]

U.S. forces in Iraq number 145,000
By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The number of U.S. troops in Iraq rose to 145,000 this week, the highest since December and 15,000 more than a month ago.

Defense Department spokesman Lt. Col. Todd Vician said Thursday the increase is temporary, and that it owes to a routine rotation of forces — that is, a bump in numbers. Such a shift lasts for a matter of weeks, he said, as replacement troops arrive and overlap with troops ending their tours and preparing to leave.

The number stood at about 130,000 in the final days of July, when Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld temporarily extended the tours of some 3,500 Americans in effort to stem escalating sectarian violence in the capital city of Baghdad.

Vician said there are no indications that officials are planning more extensions.

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060907/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_iraq_troops

[snappyturtle]

1. I may be way off base.....

but I can only think of one thing when I hear of troop build up in Iraq and that is:IRAN!

[Botany]

2. Iraq math for dummies

145,000 troops / 24,000,000 Iraqis = .00604 troops per Iraqi

add 30,000 paid killers (hired contractors)

175,000 troops & thugs / 24,000,000 = .007 troops per Iraqi

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. Needless to say there isn't going to be a drawn down prior to

November. It will probably go up to 200,000.

[bluestateguy]

4. Still waiting for that pre-election troop withdrawl we were all promised

Including from some of the prognosticators on this board.

Why we've "reduced" forces from 126,000 to...145,000.

[Megahurtz]

5. Sure, they will be withdrawn

and sent to Iran.:sarcasm:

[sweetheart]

6. The math of the republican withdrawl is apparent.

2661 over 1267 days of occupation is 2.28 per day. http://icasualties.org/oif/

145,000 at 2.28 per day is 63596.5 days to go until the occupation is over, roughly 174 years.

This presumes that troops are not replaced when they are shot, and that all the troops
currently deployed there stay there until they die. Probably, the mortatliy rates will
go up as the troops reach their older years, and the occupation will die off more quickly.

[denverbill]

7. It was a long time ago, but didn't this happen during Vietnam too?

The troop commitment allegedly doesn't change, but the number of guys there still manages to increase.

It's amazing that the troop numbers can go from 130,000 to 145,000, even though only 3,500 troops had their tour of duty extended.