With violence increasing in Iraq as the handover of power
approaches, U.S. military planners are considering sending thousands
more ground troops. As
many as 15,000 troops could be deployed to Iraq if the insurgent
violence continues to intensify, CNN has learned. At least 96 people
-- 93 Iraqis and three U.S. troops -- were killed in seemingly
coordinated insurgent attacks in five Iraqi cities Thursday.About 140,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq now. The frequency and intensity of attacks against U.S. forces, Iraqi officials and security forces and civilian Iraqis have been worsening in recent weeks as the June 30 date for the transfer of sovereignty to Iraq nears. In his confirmation hearing before the Senate on Thursday, Gen. George Casey -- who will soon take over as the commander of coalition forces -- said U.S. Central Command is working on contingency planning for increased violence. "That is CentCom doing some prudent planning in the event the security situation changes," he said. "But it is not a request for forces or even an informal request for forces. "The insurgency is much stronger than I certainly would have anticipated," he told senators. "I think they have got support from external sources." U.S. officials have warned for weeks that violence would get worse as the handover approached, and would continue afterward. A senior coalition military official told reporters Thursday the increased attacks were not unexpected, and warned that more car bombs could be used in the insurgents' effort to terrorize Iraqis and try to derail the fledgling democracy. On Wednesday, Pentagon officials said a group of Army Reserve soldiers rarely tapped for duty could soon be heading to Iraq. As many as 6,500 Individual Ready Reserve troops such as military police, infantry and engineers could be called up, Pentagon officials said. A decision to call up these troops is expected within the next week, according to officials. (Full story) More Fallujah violence At least seven Iraqis were killed and about 54 others were wounded in Fallujah on Friday, according to a health ministry official. The coalition press office said it was unaware of any overnight Fallujah activity. Video from the city, shot Friday morning, showed rising smoke as the sound of small arms fire and explosions could be heard. Heavily armed masked insurgents -- some brandishing rocket launchers -- patrolled the streets, aiming their weapons at unseen targets. The 1st Marine Expeditionary Force said Thursday its actions in Fallujah have been "strictly defensive in nature." U.S. warplanes and helicopters were taking part in the operation. Thursday's assaults by insurgents happened in the cities of Mosul, Ramadi, Fallujah, Baqubah and Baghdad. . In addiiton to the 96 killed, about 285 people were wounded, according to Iraqi police and health officials. Hospital and coalition officials said the northern city of Mosul was virtually paralyzed. The assault on Mosul began shortly after 9 a.m. when three simultaneous car bombs hit separate targets. In Baqubah, insurgents attacked a police station, and a gunbattle ensued. Armed insurgents freely roamed parts of the city, a local politician said. U.S. forces responded with air strikes on insurgent positions in the city north of the Iraqi capital, according to military officials with the 1st Infantry Division. In Ramadi, a coalition military official said bodies were being pulled out of the rubble. At a Baghdad checkpoint, a suicide bomber detonated himself in a southern section of Baghdad called Abu Dasheer. Group claims responsibility Terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has emerged as a key suspect in Thursday's wave of bombings and ambushes, officials said. Hours after the near-simultaneous strikes, the military wing of the Unification and Jihad, a group linked to al-Zarqawi, issued a statement on a Web site that claimed responsibility for attacking five police stations in Mosul, two locations in Baqubah, one in Ramadi and another in Baghdad. (Map) The authenticity of the statement could not be verified. The wave of attacks followed strikes Saturday and Tuesday by U.S. forces on "safe house" targets in Fallujah that killed about 38 people. The coalition believes al-Zarqawi followers were staying in the houses. In insurgency violence last week, 35 people were killed in a car bombing near a Baghdad army recruiting station. On Tuesday, militants beheaded a South Korean civilian who had been kidnapped last week by a group believed to be linked to al-Zarqawi. Al-Zarqawi is a Jordanian-born Islamic militant U.S. officials say has close ties to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. U.S. officials say al-Zarqawi has claimed responsibility for attacks on U.S. troops, Iraqi civilians and others, including the August 2003 bombing of the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad. They also blame him for the videotaped beheading of American businessman Nicholas Berg in May. The U.S. government has put a $10 million price on his head. Police on full alert Heightened security was highly visible Friday following Thursday's coordinated attacks. Police officials said security had been increased throughout Iraq, including additional security checkpoints and more forces on the streets ahead of next week's handover of power from the coalition to an interim Iraqi government. According to a police official, Baghdad police headquarters has ordered all police in the Iraqi capital to be on full alert through the handover. A police colonel said the moves are being made in anticipation of further terrorist attacks. |
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