WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2005
Rumsfeld: Troop Numbers May Rise
U.S. Forces Could Increase As Iraqis Prepare To Vote In Elections
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U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld answers a reporter's question during a press briefing with Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff Gen. Peter Pace Nov. 1, 2005 at the Pentagon. (AP)
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January and October were two of the deadliest months in Iraq, they said, because elections were held then, and the insurgents are trying to prevent the Iraqi people from participating in the political process.
Pace said U.S. forces are still finding an enormous amount of explosives in Iraq. The Pentagon and its commanders, he said, are working to find the best technologies and tactics to protect the troops, including better armor and improved battlefield operations.
He said that while the number of IED attacks has risen, the number of casualties per effective IED attack is going down. As of Tuesday, the U.S. military death toll for October was at least 93, bringing the total number of military deaths to at least 2,026 since the war in Iraq began.
Rumsfeld said coalition commanders will soon recommend future troop rotations based on the security situation and political environment in Iraq. In September the Pentagon announced that about 9,400 active-duty soldiers scheduled to finish one-year tours in January will stay at least seven extra days, to avoid a transition to new units during the Iraqi election.
In other comments:
Many of the nearly 500 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay have been held more than 3 1/2 years without charge or access to lawyers. Most were captured in the Afghanistan war, suspected of ties to the al Qaeda terrorist network or the Taliban regime ousted by U.S. forces in late 2001.
Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby Jr., was indicted Friday on charges of obstruction of justice, perjury and making false statements in the investigation into the leak of Plame's identity.
He said he considered every option, but determined it would be a problem to sell the stock, which has greatly increased in value. Rumsfeld has long held the stock and last week repeated his intention to stay out of any decisions on treatments or vaccines for bird flu.
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