Amid plans to quell violence in Baghdad, the Pentagon said Friday that U.S. troop levels in Iraq could rise to 135,000, and hinted that number could be maintained for much of the 2007.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters that recent increases, including the delay of the scheduled return of a Alaska-based brigade, could push the number of total U.S. troops to 135,000 in the coming weeks.
"You're going to see that spike, that is a sustained spike," he said, noting the recent increase is a response to Iraq's ground situation.
"What you're seeing is a flexible and adaptable force, based on those changing dynamic conditions that are now being addressed by the application of additional Iraqi and U.S. forces," said Whitman.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-07/29/content_4890039.htm