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U.S.
Troops Face Deadliest Month in Iraq and Longer Tours of Duty |
Posted:
04.19.04
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Following a month of fierce fighting between U.S. soldiers and
anti-American insurgents in Iraq, U.S. officials have requested
additional troops and some have questioned whether Iraqi security
forces will be ready by the June 30th date the United States plans
to hand over control to an Iraqi government.
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An uprising by Shiite Muslims in mostly
southern Iraqi cities and violent clashes between U.S. troops and
anti-American forces around the country have made April the deadliest
month in Iraq for American soldiers. The violence has also forced
the top U.S.  administrator
in Iraq Paul Bremer to say coalition forces may have to stay in
the country longer than expected.
"Events of the past two weeks show that Iraq still faces
security threats and needs outside help to deal with them,"
Bremer said in a statement.
"It is clear that Iraqi forces will not be able, on their
own, to deal with these threats by June 30 when an Iraqi government
assumes sovereignty," he added.
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Troop stays
extended |
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The United States and its allies are looking to hand over control
of Iraq to an interim government by June 30 and had hoped to reduce
the number of soldiers in the country around that same time. The
interim government would be responsible for writing a new constitution
and holding democratic elections for a new president and permanent
government.
But, according to Bremer, the latest violence may mean that United
States and other countries will keep their troops in Iraq longer
than originally planned. President Bush and others have pledged
to remain in Iraq until they can ensure security in the country.
The violence, called an insurgency by coalition forces, has also
prompted the Pentagon to order 21,000 troops to stay in Iraq at
least three months longer than had been planned. Many of the soldiers,
who help make up the 137,000 U.S. troops in the country, have
been in Iraq for a year already and some were scheduled to return
home this month.
 The
announcement upset the families of many soldiers, who had been
told their tours of duty in Iraq would not exceed one year.
"I don't think it was ever set for one year," Lisa
Williams, the wife of Commander Joseph Williams, told the Financial
Times. "Until you see the whites of their eyes, you just
shouldn't trust they're coming home."
Williams was among the 2,800 U.S. Army troops in the 2nd Armored
Cavalry regiment who learned they would have to stay and help
subdue the uprisings.
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International
support |
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As the violence continued in Iraq over the weekend, Spain's new
Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, said he would withdraw
his country's soldiers from the troubled nation.
Zapatero, who had campaigned on a promise to withdraw Spanish
troops from Iraq, was elected following a deadly terrorist bombing
in Madrid that killed nearly 200. Islamic militants were blamed
for the attack and Zapatero's surprise victory caused some to
worry that the terrorists had affected the election and sparked
the Spanish withdrawal.
 After
taking office from former Spanish Prime Minister and U.S. ally
Jose Maria Aznar Saturday, Zapatero ordered Spain's 1,300 troops
to come home over the next two to four weeks.
Zapatero, who originally said he would pull troops out unless
the United Nations took over "political and military"
control of Iraq by June 30, said he sped up his decision because
of the increased risk to Spanish troops, CNN reported.
Other countries may follow in Zapatero's footsteps, according
to U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.
"We know that there are others who are going to have to  assess
how they see the risk," Rice said on ABC's This Week."We
have 34 countries with forces on the ground. I think there are
going to be some changes."
Shiite radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whom U.S. troops have pledged
to capture, praised Spain's decision. Al-Sadr's militia has been
fighting coalition troops since the coalition arrested one of
its members and closed its newspaper on March 28.
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By Kristina Nwazota, Online NewsHour
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