Bush to announce troop increase, acknowledge past mistakes

Jan 10, 2007, 19:39 GMT

Washington - US President George W Bush will say in a major speech Wednesday evening that it was a mistake not to have had enough troops in Iraq and that he intends to increase the US presence there by more than 20,000 soldiers, a senior administration official said.

Bush, in outlining a new strategy for the war, will also caution that there are 'no silver bullets' to bring an end to the conflict and that the burden is on the Iraqi people to decide 'whether they want to live together in peace,' the official said.

Bush's much anticipated address is to take place at 9 pm (0200 GMT Thursday) and will offer details about the new plan, including embedding more US soldiers with Iraqi forces and dedicating more money and effort to rebuilding the war torn country, the official said.

The United States will deploy about 20,000 troops to Baghdad to assist with security and contain sectarian violence, but Iraqi forces will remain in the lead, the official said. In addition, Bush will order about 4,000 more soldiers to al-Anbar province, where al-Qaeda and Sunni insurgents had room to operation and carry out attacks.

Bush will also highlight the Iraqi government's plan to streamline its security apparatus in Baghdad and give Iraqi commanders the ability to conduct operations free from sectarian or political influence.

The president will admit that that situation in Iraq is 'unacceptable' and that policies in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion have not been successful, including too few US soldiers and relying on a political process that was overwhelmed last year by sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shiites, the official said.

The United States will also bolster the effort to rebuild the country and Bush will acknowledge that the military strategy of 'clear, hold and build' did not work.

'We cleared, but did not hold and the build never arrived,' the official said.

Bush's revised strategy comes after nearly four years of fighting in Iraq that has claimed the lives of 3,000 US soldiers, cost his Republican Party control of Congress and lost US public support.

Democrats, who took control of Congress last week, steadfastly opposed any troop increases for Iraq and want Bush to begin withdrawing the 140,000 US soldiers in Iraq within four to six months.

The Democrats are expected to introduce symbolic resolutions in the House and Senate to force a vote on a troop increase, and Senator Edward Kennedy had announced legislation that would bar Bush from expanding US forces in Iraq without congressional approval.