The Iraq Study Group, the bipartisan panel that mapped out an alternative U.S. strategy for Iraq last December, may be reconstituted for a sequel.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday he does not anticipate extending U.S. troop deployments in Iraq beyond 15 months, calling the idea a "worst-case scenario."
The Iraq Study Group may be coming back. The House adopted legislation Thursday to revive the bipartisan panel of prominent former U.S. officials who last year said President Bush should change course on the war.
Twelve U.S. troops have been killed in attacks in expanded operations against insurgents in Iraq during the past 48 hours, according to the U.S. military.
As of Thursday, June 21, 2007, at least 3,545 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,903 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.
The recent rise in U.S. troop deaths in Iraq is the "wrong metric" to use in assessing the effectiveness of the new security strategy for Baghdad, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said yesterday in a news conference with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.
The latest U.S. military offensive in Iraq should be judged not by whether it reduces violence but whether Iraqi leaders pass reconciliation measures, the top U.S. military officer said on Thursday.
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday US forces face more tough fighting in Iraq and his top military adviser said the rising level of violence was the "wrong metric" for judging the surge.
Pope Benedict XVI said Thursday he was greatly concerned about the fate of Christians in Iraq, returning to a theme he discussed with President Bush earlier this month.
The Taliban in Afghanistan are hunting NATO spies who they say have infiltrated the movement and are aiming to mount more Iraq-style suicide bombings on Kabul, a spokesman reportedly said.