http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,99088,00.html

US Moving 1,500 Reserve Troops to Iraq
Associated Press | May 30, 2006
WASHINGTON - U.S. military commanders are moving about 1,500 troops from a reserve force in Kuwait into the volatile Anbar province in western Iraq to help local authorities establish order there.

The move, announced Tuesday by military commanders, comes as Iraqi officials continue to struggle to set up their government, amid new spikes in violence.

The 1st Armored Division has had a brigade stationed in Kuwait for several months serving as a reserve force that could be called upon to augment the troops in Iraq. One of the brigade's battalions was sent to the Baghdad area in March to bolster security until a new national government was seated.

The deployment comes at a time when the Bush administration is under heavy election-year pressure to begin drawing down the roughly 130,000 American troops in Iraq.

The two battalions of 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, were sent after Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the top U.S. commander in Iraq, requested and received authority to relocate the reserve force, after coordination with Iraq officials and Pentagon leaders.

"The situation in Al Anbar Province is currently a challenge but is not representative of the overall security situation in Iraq," said Lt. Col. Michelle Martin-Hing, spokeswoman for Multi-National Corps-Iraq.

The Anbar province is an insurgent hotbed stretching from west of Baghdad to the Syrian border. Anti-American sentiments have been strong in Anbar since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003 that toppled Saddam Hussein's regime, which was dominated by the Sunni Arab minority.

In a statement Tuesday, the military command in Iraq described the new deployment as short-term, but did not specify how long it would be. About 600 troops from the 2nd Brigade are in Baghdad, while the remainder are still in Kuwait.

There are at least 3,500 troops in a brigade.

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http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/lib...0530-afps02.htm

Additional U.S. Troops Moving Into Iraq's Anbar Province
By Steven Donald Smith
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 30, 2006 – About 1,500 U.S. soldiers are moving into Iraq's western Anbar province to support security operations there, U.S. military officials said today.

Two battalion task forces of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, began moving into Iraq over the weekend to provide the local and provincial government officials with added security, Lt. Col. Carl Ey, an Army spokesman, said.

The 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, is normally based in Baumholder, Germany, but has been in Kuwait for several months. "These soldiers have already been in Kuwait for a few months," Ey said. "They are trained and ready for their mission."

Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr., commander of Multinational Force Iraq, in conjunction with the Iraqi government, requested the soldiers be relocated from Kuwait to Iraq, military officials said.

Ey said it was a short-term deployment "that will make a long-term contribution to Iraq's security well-being and political process."

Each task force is a flexible combined-arms force equipped to operate across the spectrum of operations, from conducting security tasks to engaging in combat operations. This includes integral armor, mechanized infantry and engineer support, military officials said.

Army officials said security issues in Anbar province have been an ongoing problem but do not represent the situation in the country at large.

"The situation in al Anbar province is currently a challenge but is not representative of the overall security situation in Iraq, which continues to improve as the Iraqi security forces increasingly take the lead," Marine Lt. Col. Michelle Martin-Hing, a spokeswoman for Multinational Corps Iraq, stated in a press release. "To date, two divisions, 15 brigades, and 68 battalions of the Iraqi army are in the lead in their own areas of responsibility."

The Iraqi security forces have demonstrated their ability to protect the public and provide security at a number of key events this year, such as the Ashura and Arbaeen religious observances, the seating of the Council of Representatives, and the inauguration of the Iraqi government. With the support of these additional forces, they will continue to progress toward security self-reliance, military officials said.

The added number of troops puts the total number of U.S. forces in Iraq at around 130,000. The 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, will come under the command of Multinational Force West.



http://www.defenselink.mil/news/May2006/20060530_5288.html