Washington – Mindful of long-term U.S. interests, military and diplomatic strategists seeking to salvage President Bush’s latest Iraq war plan are beginning to shift gears while buying time for Iraqis to resolve their differences.
Pressure to show results is growing in the U.S., even as more troops arrive.
Adding to the anxiety is the rising U.S. death toll. The military announced Wednesday that gun battles and roadside bombs killed seven soldiers and two Marines the day before, bringing the total death toll since the war began to about 3,430.
The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, in collaboration with the new U.S. ambassador, Ryan Crocker, is putting the final touches on a document spelling out in new detail how they intend to implement Bush’s strategy announced in January. Bush ordered an extra 21,500 combat troops to Iraq in hopes that more firepower in Baghdad would tamp down sectarian violence and enable rival factions to coalesce.
The Petraeus and Crocker plan, known in military parlance as a campaign plan, makes what one military officer in Baghdad called course corrections without changing the basic Bush strategy, which was built on the belief that political reconciliation in Baghdad could not happen until better security was established.
Under consideration is a large and rapid increase in the size of the Iraqi army to fill the security gaps that are anticipated once the extra U.S. troops begin to leave, perhaps early next year, according to an official knowledgeable of the planning. There are now about 144,000 in the Iraqi army; any increases would have to be worked out with the Iraqi government, in part because Iraq would have to pay some of the cost.
National Public Radio reported Wednesday that Petraeus and Crocker want to nearly double the size of the Iraqi army.
Petraeus has focused on identifying hardened sectarians in the political system and security forces and persuading Iraqi leaders to remove them. His new plan also envisions more emphasis on negotiating with elements of the insurgency that are judged to be potentially willing to reconcile, one official said.
Petraeus has said he plans to report to Washington in September on how the Bush strategy is working. One key question then will be whether to reduce U.S. troop levels, which the Pentagon says now stand at 147,000. About 10,000 troops are scheduled to arrive soon.
