WP, p 1: Return to U.S. for 20,000 Troops Halted [View All]

Return to U.S. For 20,000 Troops Halted

By Bradley Graham
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, April 15, 2004; Page A01


About 20,000 U.S. soldiers due to return from Iraq to their home bases this month and next will have their tours extended at least three months in a plan the Pentagon finalized yesterday, defense officials said.

While the commander of U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf had said he would need more troops last week, the plan spells out for the first time how many soldiers will be affected and which units they are from. Some of the soldiers scheduled to leave Iraq -- and their families -- had held out hope they might be spared as Pentagon authorities worked out the details. But the final list, due for release today, shows that few escaped the extension.

The extensions apply to a range of forces, from infantrymen to air ambulance crews, adding up to the extra combat strength requested by Army Gen. John P. Abizaid. The extra forces are meant to confront a surge in Sunni and Shiite violence that has already made April the bloodiest month since the U.S. invasion a year ago.

The original plan was to bring troops home as a fresh contingent of about 110,000 moved into Iraq over the past few months. Most of the 20,000 being retained were winding up year-long tours. The decision to keep them in place breaks a Pentagon commitment last autumn to limit troop assignments in Iraq to 12 months....


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13123-2004Apr14.html