British troop reinforcements began arriving in Iraq yesterday as US President George W. Bush prepared to seek more international help to stem violence illustrated by a missile attack on a plane at Baghdad airport.
Under pressure over his handling of postwar Iraq, Bush was also expected to use a televised address yesterday evening to try to convince Americans they must stay the course.
Most nations remain wary of sending troops to Iraq under US leadership, and it was left to Washington's most faithful ally, London, once again to take a symbolic lead in responding to the American call for help.
Only 120 soldiers flew in from Cyprus to British-controlled southern Iraq yesterday.
But the government of Prime Minister Tony Blair -- mocked by critics as a poodle of Bush -- is reported to be considering sending up to 3,000 more troops to swell its 11,000-strong contingent.
The dangers of occupying Iraq were highlighted again on Saturday, when guerrillas fired several missiles at a US transport plane taking off from Baghdad but failed to hit it.
The incident, confirmed by the military yesterday, was the third of its kind since May 1, when Washington declared an end to major combat in Iraq after toppling former president Saddam Hussein.
The US, which has some 130,000 troops in Iraq, wants other nations to send 15,000 soldiers, on top of the 9,000 already in Iraq alongside US and British forces.
Washington has proposed a draft UN resolution to mandate a larger multinational force to occupy Iraq.
But anti-war trio France, Germany and Russia oppose it, saying it does not give enough control to the UN and puts too little emphasis on handing over power to Iraqis.
Bush's scheduled 15-minute speech -- starting at 8:30pm in Washington and coming just before the second anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks -- is likely to be an effort to reassure Americans about the mission in Iraq.
"Bush's foreign policy is in trouble," said Douglas Brinkley, a professor of American government at the University of New Orleans. "This is not an optional speech. It's a political imperative for a president who wants to win re-election next year."
US soldiers, already pro-British because of UK backing for the March invasion, cheered London's small reinforcement.
"Oh man, good news. I'd say the more troops that come in alleviates the burden on us and helps us get home earlier," said Private Nathaniel Spears, 34, from Arkansas, as he humped trash sacks at a US military base in Tikrit.
"Tell them to bring in as many Brits as they can. The French, they can stay just where they're at. Don't need 'em, don't want 'em."
In Baghdad, about 50 protesters gathered at the US-led ruling authority's headquarters in a former palace of Saddam, chanting, "With our souls and blood, we redeem you Saddam."
Beijing’s continued provocations in the Taiwan Strait reveal its intention to unilaterally change the “status quo” in the area, the US Department of State said on Saturday, calling for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported that four China Coast Guard patrol vessels entered restricted and prohibited waters near Kinmen County on Friday and again on Saturday. A State Department spokesperson said that Washington was aware of the incidents, and urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from unilaterally changing the “status quo.” “Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is in line with our [the
EXTENDED RANGE: Hsiung Sheng missiles, 100 of which might be deployed by the end of the year, could reach Chinese command posts and airport runways, a source said A NT$16.9 billion (US$534.93 million) project to upgrade the military’s missile defense systems would be completed this year, allowing the deployment of at least 100 long-range Hsiung Sheng missiles and providing more deterrence against China, military sources said on Saturday. Hsiung Sheng missiles are an extended-range version of the Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) surface-to-surface cruise missile, and are believed to have a range of up to 1,200km, which would allow them to hit targets well inside China. They went into mass production in 2022, the sources said. The project is part of a special budget for the Ministry of National Defense aimed at
READY TO WORK: Taiwan is eager to cooperate and is hopeful that like-minded states will continue to advocate for its inclusion in regional organizations, Lai said Maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region must be a top priority, president-elect William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after meeting with a delegation of US academics. Leaders of the G7, US President Joe Biden and other international heads of state have voiced concerns about the situation in the Strait, as stability in the region is necessary for a safe, peaceful and prosperous world, Lai said. The vice president, who is to be inaugurated in May, welcomed the delegation and thanked them for their support for Taiwan and issues concerning the Strait. The international community
COOPERATION: Two crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank off Kinmen were rescued, two were found dead and another two were still missing at press time The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) was yesterday working with Chinese rescuers to find two missing crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank southwest of Kinmen County yesterday, killing two crew. The joint operation managed to rescue two of the boat’s six crewmembers, but two were already dead when they were pulled from the water, the agency said in a statement. Rescuers are still searching for two others from the Min Long Yu 61222, a boat registered in China’s Fujian Province that capsized and sank 1.03 nautical miles (1.9km) southwest of Dongding Island (東碇), it added. CGA Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) told a