Bush announces 20,000 more soldiers will be sent to Iraq

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Source: CCTV.com | 01-12-2007 09:18

US President George W. Bush has said in a nationally-televised address that he'll send more than 20,000 extra soldiers to Iraq. The reinforcements are part of a just-unveiled plan for Iraq.

For the first time, Bush admitted responsibility for the mistakes made in Iraq.

But he said US commitment to the country was not open-ended. Even so, Bush has pledged an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq.

Bush said, "America is to change our strategy to help Iraq to carry out the campaign. So I commit a more than 20,000 more American soldiers to Iraq."

Of the proposed additional troops, four thousand will head to western Anbar province and the rest will stay in Baghdad.

Many see the deployment as a last push to step up security and help stem sectarian violence in the two areas.

And the first wave of troops could arrive in the country as early as the middle of next week.

President Bush has called for more than five-and-a-half billion US dollars to fund the troop surge. He has also called for an extra 1.2 billion dollars. This will be used to finance rebuilding and employment programs aimed at discouraging Iraqis from joining the insurgency.

US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, has defended Bush's decisions.

Condoleezza Rice, US Secretary of State, said, "All Americans know that the stakes in Iraq are enormous and we all share the belief that the situation is currently unacceptable. On this we're united."

US Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, has said it's still unclear how long the military build-up will last.

Robert Gates, US Defense Secretary, said, "We'll have to see in terms of the length of time. It's really hard to say at this point. It's viewed as a temporary surge, but I think that no one has a really clear of what might be."

Following their briefing, Rice and Gates headed to Capitol Hill. They're hoping to persuade lawmakers the administration is on the right track.

But this is likely to be a tough sell, as democrats have already voiced deep skepticism over the build-up.

Editor:Du Xiaodan