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| Bush boosts troop numbers in Iraq |
| US President George W Bush has ordered more than 20,000 additional troops to Iraq, as part of a new strategy for tackling the conflict there.
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| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
, 11-January-2007
1:25:1 AM |
| In a live televised address, Mr Bush said the deployment would help break the cycle of violence and hasten the day US troops were able to come home.
He said the situation in Iraq was unacceptable, and that responsibility for mistakes rested with him.
However, the announcement brought immediate criticism from Democrats.
Democratic Party leaders said Congress would give the proposals the "scrutiny our troops and the American people expect".
"We will demand answers to the tough questions that have not been asked or answered to date," they said.
The key measures announced by Mr Bush include:
Raising troop numbers by more than 20,000
Improving Iraqi security forces' capacity to protect the civilian population
Setting political benchmarks for the Iraqi government
Funding a $1bn (£517m) aid and reconstruction programme to economically develop Iraq
Taking a tough stance towards Iraq and Syria, whom Mr Bush accuses of destabilising its neighbour
The Democrats have promised a non-binding vote in both houses of Congress on the strategy.
The US currently has 132,000 troops stationed in Iraq.
Change of strategy
President Bush began with a bleak assessment of the situation, saying that sectarian violence had overwhelmed political gains made by Iraq since the 2003 invasion.
The BBC's Adam Brookes in Washington said he sounded chastened, saying that any mistakes were his own responsibility.
A change of strategy was needed, Mr Bush added.
Mr Bush said the vast majority of the new troops would be sent to Baghdad and would fight alongside Iraqi units to secure neighbourhoods from "terrorists and insurgents".
"Our troops will have a well-defined mission, to help Iraqis clear and secure neighbourhoods, to help them protect the local population, and to help ensure that the Iraqi forces left behind are capable of providing the security that Baghdad needs," he said.
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