The Daily Background

A while ago (okay, a little more than a week ago), I noted that Raw Story was reporting that President Bush and British Prime Minister Blair were planning to announce significant troop reduction, and reduce troop levels by 33,000 people by year end (a 25% decrease). Well, that announcement (which was expected during Blair’s visit to the U.S. recently) never occurred, as you know. Instead the two leaders acted kind of downbeat on Iraq, perhaps uncharacteristically so.

Now, Raw is noting that LAT reports that the planned troop withdrawl announcement was cancelled due to the increasingly hostile situation in Iraq which makes a signifigant withdrawl completely impossible. I noted yesterday that more troops are actually being sent into Iraq; reserves. From the LAT article:

The Pentagon’s hopes of making substantial reductions in U.S. troop levels in Iraq this year appear to be fading as a result of resurgent violence in the country, particularly in the Sunni Arab stronghold of Al Anbar province, military officials acknowledge.

Army Gen. George W. Casey, commander of U.S.-led forces in Iraq, said Tuesday that he was moving 1,500 “backup” troops from Kuwait to Al Anbar, the western region that includes the war-torn cities of Fallouja and Ramadi.

Publicly, Pentagon officials insisted Tuesday that the move was temporary and unrelated to Casey’s much-delayed recommendation on overall troop levels, now expected to be made next month. But other officers have privately acknowledged that the worsening situation in Al Anbar — particularly in Ramadi, which U.S. officials say is now under insurgent control — is likely to prevent any significant drawdown this year.

Filed under: Iraq Related, Z-TDB Blog