New York: The United States would require to deploy more than 350,000 troops for a
war on Iraq and subsequent occupation of the country, a far greater number than that
envisioned during preliminary planning, official sources said.
The National Guard and reserve call-up could also grow well beyond the 263,000 used
more than a decade ago during 'Operation Desert Storm', 'ABC News' quoted
unidentified sources as saying.
The number of troops, the sources said, will depend at least in part on how
successful the US is during the early phases of war on Iraq, whether the Iraqis use
chemical weapons and whether there is large-scale resistance in the country,
especially from civilians.
"In every village, every city, every government in Iraq that we move forward into,
we have to establish civil order," a military analyst told the television network.
"And if in any of these areas there is significant instability, we have to have
people on the ground," the expert was quoted as saying.
The additional US troops are intended to keep the peace, to protect rear forces and
to handle the huge job of pushing supplies to the frontline, as American forces
march deeper and deeper into Iraq.
Officials said it is quite possible that the US would occupy part of Iraq, needing
to feed millions of people and manage many cities while still having to fight in
other parts of the country.
PTI
