General Petreaus: SEND EVEN MORE TROOPS!!!

From American Progress:

IRAQ -- PETREAUS WANTS TO ADD ANOTHER BRIGADE TO ESCALATION:

Gen. David Petraeus "has requested another Army brigade, in addition to five already on the way, as part of the controversial 'surge' of American troops designed to clamp down on sectarian violence and insurgent groups," the Boston Globe reports.

The appeal -- "not yet made public" -- "would involve between 2,500 and 3,000 more soldiers and dozens of transport helicopters and powerful gunships," bringing the "planned expansion of U.S. forces to close to 30,000 troops."

The Globe also reports that "military spokesmen in Baghdad have already reported that the number of sectarian killings and insurgent attacks have dropped significantly in the four weeks since US and Iraqi troops began to move into neighborhoods plagued by militias and gangs."

But as the Washington Post reported, "Sectarian attacks in Baghdad are down at the moment, but the deaths of Iraqi civilians and U.S. troops have increased outside the capital."

Moreover, analysts say that if violence is down in Baghdad, "it is likely because the Shiite militias operating there are waiting out the buildup in U.S. troops, nearly all of whom are being deployed in the capital. At the same time, Sunni insurgents have escalated their operations elsewhere."

The Post also reported that many of President Bush's recent rosy claims about the escalation have been skewed or flatly false.

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