Duration of troop surge in Iraq is unclear

[babylonsister]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-ex-gates5apr05,0,3642800.story?coll=la-home-nation

Duration of troop surge in Iraq is unclear
By Peter Spiegel, Times Staff Writer
1:51 PM PDT, April 5, 2007

WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, acknowledging that he was unsure how long the current buildup of U.S. forces in Baghdad would last, said today that it would not be until the middle of summer that commanders would be able to evaluate whether the increase in forces was working.

In past public statements, Gates has said he hoped to end the increase of 21,500 combat troops by December. But in recent weeks, some senior officers, particularly the Army general in charge of day-to-day operations in Iraq, have suggested that the so-called surge might need to be extended into early next year, a recommendation currently being debated by senior commanders.

Gates did not directly address the suggestion by Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno to keep force levels at higher levels. He said any decision would depend on progress on the ground.

"The truth is, I think people don't know right now how long this will last," Gates told a Pentagon news conference. "The thinking of those involved in the process was that it would be a period of months, not a period of years or a year and a half or something like that."

The length of the buildup of troops has become an issue of increasing political rancor as congressional Democrats have attempted to force the Bush administration not only to end the surge but to begin a withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraq.

The increase in troops has added new burdens on an already stretched Army, with three major units being deployed to Iraq as part of the new plan without the standard year-long stays at home bases.

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[renate]

1. there's another surge planned

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17971410/

[babylonsister]

2. I heard NBC news;

:-(

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. So, the 21,000 (It's actually 30+) didn't count reserves.

Does that surprise me?