The Pentagon extended the tours of about 3,500 US troops in Iraq for 120 days on Thursday, dashing hopes of US force cuts this year in the face of surging sectarian violence.
The Pentagon also identified army and marine units totaling about 25,000 troops that have been scheduled to deploy to Iraq late this year and early next year, enough to maintain the US force at about 130,000 troops for a year.
"Additionally, the secretary of defense approved a request by the commander of Multi-National Forces-Iraq [MNF-I] to extend the deployment of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team operating in Iraq for up to 120 additional days," it said.
The move indicated that US commanders have effectively given up hopes for even a gradual reduction in the US force this year because of a bitter insurgency and spiralling sectarian violence.
The Pentagon's actions boosted the size of the US force from 14 brigades to 15 brigades, and from 127,000 troops to at least 130,000.
Army officials said that by the end of next month, the US force should increase to about 134,000 troops with the arrival of another brigade from the 82nd Airborne Infantry Division.
President George W. Bush, meeting this week with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, said more US and Iraqi troops will be sent into Baghdad to quell waves of violence by Shiite and Sunni death squads.
The plan to beef up security in the capital reportedly will add an extra 4,000 US troops and an equal number of Iraqi troops to those already there.
Pentagon officials said the troops receiving tour extensions will not necessarily be used in Baghdad, but they will free up other troops for duty in the capital.
The Alaska-based 172nd Stryker Brigade already had begun rotating out of Iraq when the order came to stay put.
About 200 of its troops had arrived at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, and another 200 were in Kuwait.
Army officials said the status of those troops would be decided on a case-by-case basis, but that soldiers could be sent back from Kuwait or even Alaska if they are considered essential to the mission.
"They're still trying to get as many soldiers as possible," said an army official. "It looks like it will be 3,500."
The Pentagon's policy is to keep troops in Iraq for no more than 365 days at a time, but in the past commanders have kept some troops longer during crucial junctures such as a Shiite uprising in 2004.
The army arranged a video teleconference between family members and the troops in Iraq so that commanders could address their questions and concerns.
"If you extend somebody, is there some disappointment that they won't be home when they thought they would be home? Sure," US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told reporters. "But, as I say, this is a professional military, and they are doing a superb job."
He said when an army unit was extended for several months two years ago, "they handled it in a professional way, and got on with life."
In announcing the units that have been added to the rotation schedule, the Pentagon left open the possibility of changes in the lineup if conditions improve.
"Force levels in Iraq continue to be conditions-based and will be determined in consultation with the Iraqi government," it said.
"Based on ongoing assessments of the conditions on the ground, changes may be made that could affect units now being identified and advised to prepare to deploy -- as has occurred in the past," it said.
General George Casey, the US commander in Iraq, said on June 22 he was still confident that US force levels could gradually come down over the course of this year as Iraqi forces assumed greater responsibility for security.
But a six-week-old security crackdown in Baghdad that relied heavily on Iraqi security forces showed they are still no match for the rising violence.
The units put on the deployment schedule on Thursday included two army brigades from the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood and Fort Bliss, Texas, and two marine regimental combat teams from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
A third army brigade from the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia also has been ordered to prepare for possible deployment later this year to Iraq, the Pentagon said.
Army officials said that brigade might also deploy to Kuwait to serve as a theater reserve that could be called forward into Iraq on short notice.
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