... and Bush continues to reinvent his purpose in Iraq over ... and over ... and over ... while innocent people are killed and the mission is completely absent.
U.S. loses 5 more in Iraq
By Christopher Torchia
The Associated Press
Published: Saturday, December 23, 2006
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Insurgent attacks killed five more U.S. troops west of the Iraqi capital, the military said Friday, making December the second deadliest month for U.S. service members in 2006.
So far this month, 76 U.S. troops have died in Iraq, the same number that were killed in all of April. With nine days remaining in December, the monthly total of U.S. deaths could meet or exceed the death toll of 105 in October.
As U.S. deaths in the war pushed closer to 3,000, Iraqis continued to fall victim to sectarian violence between Shiites and Sunnis. Police recovered 21 more bodies in the cities of Baghdad, Baqouba and Kut. With 140,000 U.S. troops now in Iraq, President Bush is considering whether to send thousands more to control the bloodshed....
...Britain's Defense Secretary Des Browne acknowledged Friday he may have to increase the size of Britain's armed forces as a result of commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan - echoing military expansion plans being considered in Washington.
Browne told the Times of London he may consider increasing the size of the armed forces from 95,560 because current deployments had left too little time for training exercises.
''People imagine that the best form of training is to be in Iraq or Afghanistan, but it's not true,'' Browne was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
''While we are deploying troops in their thousands, we lose the chance to build up their basic skills.''
Poland, which has 900 soldiers in Iraq, agreed Friday to extend its mission in Iraq until the end of 2007. The Poles focus mainly on training Iraqi security forces and are based in an area south of Baghdad that is calmer than the capital.
Also Friday, South Korean lawmakers endorsed a motion to extend the country's deployment in Iraq for another year, but cut the number of troops in half. The motion calls on the South Korean government to withdraw 1,100 troops of its 2,300-strong contingent in the relatively peaceful, northern city of Irbil by April....
...The authenticity of the audiotape could not be verified. The ''Islamic State of Iraq'' is believed to be an umbrella group for militants, including al-Qaeda in Iraq.
