Gen. George W. Casey announced that he is considering sending more U.S. troops to Iraq in order to help quell the violence. This is a major reversal of the military withdrawal that started last December. The reductions stopped in June when the violence in Baghdad showed no signs of abatement.

  • NYT Story
  • News Conference Transcript

    • NYT: America’s top general in Iraq said today that he was considering sending more troops to help quell the violence raging in Baghdad, as he and the United States ambassador to Iraq laid out a timetable for progress that they said has been agreed to by the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

    The ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad, said the timetable would include settling political differences between the country’s competing groups through a “national compact” within the next year, and taking quick action on some of the country’s most obdurate issues, including cracking down on Shiite militias, persuading Sunni Arab insurgents to lay down their arms and reaching agreement on a fair division of oil revenues.

    Link

     WAIT, BEFORE YOU GO…

    If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.

    Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.

    SUPPORT TRUTHDIG
    In this Article:
    #ambassador#baghdad#shiite#sunni#violence#zalmay khalilzad