U.S. Forces Fighting Insurgency, Providing Security Will Be Far Greater Than First Expected
(Washington Post, May 5, 2004, Pg. 1)
Military officials plan to keep as many as 138,000 U.S. troops in Iraq through the end of next year, maintaining a higher-than-expected level of forces to quell the insurgency and provide security to the country long after it is slated to become a sovereign nation. Officials also plan to send more heavy equipment, such as tanks and armored vehicles, into Iraq to help secure U.S. forces against attack.