US Army To Keep Thousands of Soldiers in Iraq
Washington, Jan 25 (Prensa Latina) US army will keep the large number of occupation troops in Iraq at least for another two years, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
Of the 150 thousand-odd soldiers, members of the Pentagon occupation troops, 120 thousand remain in the Arab country, the highest number since the beginning of the invasion 22 months ago.
General James J. Lovelace told the press that a few changes have been predicted in the number of units deployed in the Iraqi territory.
In this way, thousand of US soldiers will remain in this country up to 2006 even when a "sovereign" government come to power, according to the electoral schedule beginning this Sunday.
The Pentagon recent plans to train Iraqi security forces gave way to speculations that Washington was preparing itself to reduce its troops.
According to the Post, as soon as the local units begin to fight the insurgency the Pentagon could gradually withdraw its soldiers.
But the army" s purpose is to keep its rotation plan of active units this year and even to increase the reserve"s participation, which every time plays a bigger role in the war.
The war deployment matches with announcements that President George W. Bush resolved to request Congress for 80 billion extra dollars to defray the Iraq war and the occupation in Afghanistan.
Sources from the Congress Budget Office blame the high costs of war on the strong operation of Iraqi insurgency that keeps the occupying forces and local troops on the rack.
Next Sunday"s elections will represent an acid test for the Pentagon soldiers and its local allies in front of the resistance"s call to boycott the elections with fire.
Many analysts consider elections will not change the current course of the war in Iraq, which is the Pentagon"s reason for keeping the large number of soldiers in the Arab nation.
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Sending of Japanese Troops to Iraq in the Middle of Strong Rejection
Tokyo, Jan 30 (PL) In the middle of a strong rejection, from opposition parties, the Japanese governmental coalition approved sending military troops to Iraq in the Lower Chamber, as reported by official sources.
When the measure was approved in the Legislative, the coalition was headed by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, and it was strongly criticized by the three opposition parties.
The Democrat Party, the Japanese greatest opposition force, said that the governmental decision violated the peaceful spirit of the Japanese Constitution, which forbids Japan"s intervention or participation in warlike conflicts, even in post-war times.
The Japanese government has insisted on the idea of displaying a military contingent despite rejection by wide sectors of the population and the growing insecurity situation in Iraq.
Formed by the Liberal Democrat Party and the New Komeito, the governmental coalition had agreed to authorize display of 1,000 Japanese infantry and naval force soldiers in the Iraqi southern city of Samawa between February and March 2004.
In an attempt to justify the decision, Takenori Kanzaki, New Komeito leader, said Koizumi was convinced there were conditions to send Japanese troops to Iraq.
Up to now, only a Japanese military vanguard delegation has gone to Samawa to prepare the arrival for the rest of the soldiers.
This will be the first time, since the end of World War I, that Japanese troops are going to take part in that kind of actions.
(From Prensa Latina)
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