WORLD NEWS
April 8, 2004
A Call For More Troops
As violence in Iraq gets worse, the U.S. considers sending more troops
 A US marine watches the road as he travels in Fallujah. |
At a time when U.S.-led forces had planned to give Iraqi security forces more responsibility, increased violence has forced the United States to reconsider. On Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the U.S. may send more troops to Iraq. The U.S. may also ask the forces already there to stay longer.
Fighting in Iraq is the worst it has been since coalition troops captured Baghdad and took Saddam Hussein out of power one year ago. In this week alone, 36 Americans and at least 459 Iraqis have been killed in Fallujah and other Iraqi cities, including Ramadi. In addition, three Japanese and eight South Korean civilians have been kidnapped.
 |  |
Violence Increases in Iraq
On Wednesday, armed Iraqis attacked U.S. troops on the road to Fallujah, about 12 miles west of Baghdad. U.S. forces surrounded Fallujah this weekend, closing the city to traffic in or out. They are looking for the people who killed four U.S. civilians last week.
Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top U.S. military official in Iraq, responded to the recent outbreak of violence at a televised news conference in Baghdad. "We will not let a small group of criminals and thugs control the destiny of this country," Sanchez said.
Rumsfeld confirmed that the U.S. is still committed to its mission in Iraq. "You can be certain that if they want more troops, we will sign deployment orders so that they'll have the troops they need," Rumsfeld said at a Pentagon news conference.
Looking Ahead
The U.S. is working quickly to respond to the growing violence. It has asked Iraq's interior minister Nuri al-Badran, who was responsible for the country's police force, to resign. The U.S. feels that the Iraqi police have not done enough to stop the violence against foreign troops.
The coalition continues to plan for Iraqi elections scheduled for June 30. U.S. and European officials told the Washington Post that they hope the United Nations will help organize the elections. The UN left Iraq last year because of attacks against their offices. Now, the U.S. is asking France, India, Pakistan and other countries to send troops to help protect the UN staff.
