Video: Go behind the scenes with AP
Interactive: Seating chart for hearing
17 seconds ago 2009-07-14T16:00:23-07:00
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The Defense Department said on Tuesday it was sending newly created US Army brigades to Iraq that will focus on training and advice as part of plans to withdraw combat forces by August 2010.
About 14,000 soldiers in four "advisory and assistance brigades" will deploy to Iraq starting in the fall as the first elements of a residual US force that will remain after the departure of American combat troops, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters.
"The mission of these units will be to train and mentor Iraqi security forces, conduct coordinated counter-terrorism missions and protect ongoing civilian and military efforts in Iraq," Whitman said.
Washington has promised to remove combat troops from Iraq by August 2010 while leaving a smaller force of up to 50,000 to support Iraqi security forces.
By the end of 2011, all US troops have to withdraw under a deal with Baghdad.
The advisory and assistance brigades ordered to Iraq are part of a routine rotation of 30,000 US troops that includes three combat brigades and three division headquarters, the Pentagon said.
The new advisory brigades will include engineers, military police, specialists in transportation and other officers with skills suited to building up the Iraqi forces, he said.
"This is a totally different mission than a full-spectrum combat mission," Whitman said. "This is a train, advise, stability operations-type mission."
The advisory brigades would still have the capability to carry out combat missions when necessary, Whitman added.
The total number of US forces in Iraq will remain at about 128,000 through the country's elections in January and then gradually be reduced in the following months, he said.
