Several thousand additional Marines will be sent to Iraq next year, the Pentagon said Wednesday in an update that indicated the total US force won't be reduced as much as planned.
Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, in addition, approved the mobilization of 9,900 Army, 1,290 Navy and 3,208 Air Force reserve personnel for the rotation, which will start in January to replace the 130,000 troops who will be completing one-year tours of duty in Iraq.
Rumsfeld also put on alert 4,228 Army, 1,290 Navy and 2,381 Air Force reservists, to let them know they may be mobilized for duty in Iraq. The specific units alerted and mobilized Wednesday were not disclosed; the Pentagon says they can expect to be on active duty for up to 18 months, according to AP.
The Pentagon had announced early November most of the details of its rotation plan, which called for relying more heavily on the National Guard and Reserve, while reducing the total number of American troops to about 105,000 by the time the rotation was completed in May.
Although no numbers were provided by the Pentagon, it seems the total number by May will be closer to 110,000, counting the additional Marines.
For reasons not explained in the announcement Wednesday, the Pentagon said it had decided to send an additional three battalions of Marines. Those would be beyond the 20,000 who were designated on November 6.
Meanwhile, the Italian mission in Baghdad was hit and damaged by a rocket or mortar strike late Wednesday, but there were no injuries, a Foreign Ministry official said in Rome. State-run RAI television said only a few people were in the building at the time of the attack, which targeted the second floor. (Albawaba.com)
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