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Bush sending more troops, Iraqi government
welcomes the new strategy
11.1.2007
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January 11, 2007
Washington, -- President George W. Bush told
Americans he was sending 21,500 more U.S. troops to
Iraq but after dozens more death squad killings in
the past day, Iraqis questioned on Thursday what
difference they would make.
With American voters' patience wearing thin with a
war that has cost over 3,000 soldiers' lives and
killed tens of thousands of Iraqis, Bush bluntly
told Iraq's prime minister "America's commitment is
not open-ended".
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has announced his
forces will mount a security crackdown in the
capital that will also target militias loyal to his
fellow Shi'ite leaders, a key demand of Washington
and the once dominant Sunni minority who say death
squad killers are trying to drive them from the city
altogether.
"The situation in Iraq is unacceptable to the
American people, and it is unacceptable to me," Bush
said in a televised address, making a rare
acceptance of errors. "Where mistakes have been
made, the responsibility rests with me."
Adding 17,500 troops in Baghdad and 4,000 in restive
Sunni Anbar province to the west over the next four
months would take the U.S. force in Iraq back close
to 150,000 -- the level it was at four months ago,
during a previous, unsuccessful, push to quash
violence in Baghdad.
Iraq's government welcomed President Bush's new
strategy and promised it was committed to making
sure it succeeds. But ordinary Iraqis gave it mixed
reviews, with many expressing skepticism that an
increase in U.S. troops would quell the violence
ransacking their country.
A Sunni lawmaker also rejected Bush's plan to send
more troops, calling instead for a timetable for
them to withdraw and for direct negotiations with
insurgents.
"Bush's plan could be the last attempt to fix the
chaos created after the invasion of Iraq. Yet,
sending more troops will not end the problem, on the
contrary, there will be more bloodshed," said Sunni
lawmaker Hussein al-Falluji.
In a speech broadcast live on Iraqi state
television, Bush said he was increasing U.S. troops
by 21,500 - 17,500 to Baghdad, where much of the
sectarian violence has been blamed on predominantly
Shiite militias. The plan also envisions 10,000 to
12,000 Iraqi troops to secure Baghdad's
neighborhoods.
"The failure in Iraq will not only affect this
country only but the rest of the region and the
world, including the United States," said Sadiq al-Rikabi,
an adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
said.
"The current situation is not acceptable — not only
for the American people but also for the Iraqis and
their government. As Iraqis and as an elected
government we welcome the American commitment for
success," he added. "The Iraqi government also is
committed to succeed."
He also stressed the importance of the Iraqis taking
the lead in military operations.
"The American plan cannot succeed without us because
we work in the same field in order to defeat
violence and terrorism and boost the democratic
system," he said.
Baghdad residents from both sects, however, said
they were not optimistic that Bush's new strategy
would end the Sunni-Shiite attacks that have
spiraled in the capital and elsewhere since a Feb.
22 bombing of a revered Shiite shrine in Samarra.
Others offered a weary acceptance of any effort to
curb the violence after several failed past
attempts.
Osama Ahmed, a 50-year-old Sunni who works in the
Ministry of Higher Education, said he got up early
to watch the speech, which aired at 5 a.m. Thursday
in Iraq.
"More U.S. troops will mean more wasted blood and
more people killed," Ahmed said. "The violence will
surge unless U.S. administration decides to curb
militiamen who are part of the Iraqi government."
He accused the Shiite-dominated government of
backing the militias in attacking Sunnis, saying
"there is no point of giving more security
responsibilities to the Iraqi government because it
is a sectarian government and it is responsible for
the violence hitting the country."
Abdel-Karim Jassim, a 44-year-old Shiite trader,
said he had hoped Bush would come up with something
other than the troops increase.
"Sending more troops will not solve the problem," he
said, although he acknowledged that "Iraqis cannot
handle security issue on their own because of the
sectarian divisions and the strong militias and
insurgents."
Rahim al-Waeli, a Shiite, said the Iraqi security
forces need to be freed from the influence of
political parties. But the 40-year-old Shiite
employee in the Health Ministry was hopeful this
plan would succeed where others had failed because
it included efforts to boost economic aid and job
creation.
"I am relatively optimistic because this time the
plan is not only about using force, it has some
economical and service aspects," he said.
Shiite politician and former member of parliament
Mariam al-Rayes also welcomed the new effort but
noted
Democratic opposition in the United States to the
increase in troops.
"Some consider president Bush an adventurer," she
told the state-run Iraqiya station. "But he has
found that his role now is to support this
government especially after the government asked for
more support and authorities."
In the past, the Iraqi government has tried to
prevent American military operations against the
Mahdi Army, the militia loyal to radical Shiite
cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, while giving U.S. forces a
free hand against Sunni militants. The Bush
administration has pushed al-Maliki to curb his
militia allies or allow U.S. troops to do the job.
Senior officials in al-Sadr's group said they will
not comment on the speech until their political
council meets later Thursday to discuss Bush's
statements.
University professor Hafidh Issam, 49, said the
United States had made many mistakes in Iraq and
accused it of contributing to the chaos to serve its
own interests in the Middle East.
"They built a constant base in Iraq that would be
able to threaten the neighboring countries,
especially Iran and the Gulf countries," Issam said.
Awad Mukhtar, a 35-year-old technician, said Bush's
new proposals could be Iraq's "last chance" for
peace.
"The security situation in Iraq is very bad, we are
facing death at any moment daily," Mukhtar said. "I
see the new Bush strategy as the last chance for
Iraqis to save their lives ... we have no other
choice, only to wait and see the results."
AP | Reuters
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