US Army to send unit to Iraq three months early

Washington, Feb 17: About 1,000 US Army troops will deploy to Iraq three months earlier than planned as part of the military's stepped-up effort to halt sectarian violence there, the Defence Department said today.

The troops from the 3rd Infantry Division based at Fort Stewart, Georgia, will go to Iraq in March instead of June and they will assist with intelligence, surveillance, and command and control duties, the Pentagon said.

President George W Bush said last month he would send an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq to try to help quell insurgent attacks. The accelerated deployment of the unit is part of that effort, a spokesman at Fort Stewart said.

The early deployment was announced as the US House of Representatives approved a symbolic, nonbinding resolution opposing Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq. The Senate is expected to vote tomorrow on whether to debate the House resolution.

''US force levels in Iraq continue to be conditions-based, and are determined upon the recommendations of military commanders in Iraq and in consultation with the Iraqi government,'' the military said in the statement.

There are approximately 1,41,000 US troops currently in Iraq, according to the Pentagon.

Reuters

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