US military to conduct comprehensive review of Iraq policy: report(DPA)7 January 2005
WASHINGTON - The US military is dispatching a retired general to Iraq next week to conduct a wide-ranging review of Washington’s Iraq strategy, The New York Times reported Friday.
In addition, the Army is also considering making a temporary increase of 30,000 troops in its forces in Iraq permanent.
The review of Iraq policy - from the strategy used to fight militants to US troop strength and training programmes for Iraqi forces - will be “open-ended” and conducted by retired four-star general Gary Luck, former commander of US forces in South Korea, the newspaper said, citing senior Defence Department officials.
Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said at a meeting Thursday with top aides that the highly regarded Luck, a top adviser to general Tommy Franks when he commanded the 2003 war in Iraq, would examine all areas of Iraqi operations, identify any weaknesses and report back in a few weeks.
The move reflects concern in Washington over the direction of US operations in Iraq, the increasingly effective insurgency and the performance of Iraqi security forces, analysts and members of Congress said.