Rumsfeld approves deployment of additional troops to Iraq: officials

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has approved the deployment of an extra brigade of the elite 82nd Airborne Division to Iraq (news - web sites) in January and extended that of another brigade to maintain combat power as other forces are being swapped out, senior US defense officials said.


The deployment will increase the total size of the US force in Iraq by a couple of thousand troops over a three month period in which the entire force is being replaced with fresh units, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.


"It is a spike, no question about it," said a senior defense official. "But it will provide some capability during the transition period that Abizaid thought was important."


General John Abizaid, commander of the US Central Command, asked for the deployment of the 82nd Airborne's 1st Brigade after deciding that an infantry brigade of the Washington National Guard that was supposed to deploy in January needed more training, the officials said.

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