Gates: Only 55% of Iraqi troops show for Baghdad push; Says support personnel for 'surge' between 2,800 and 4,200

US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (L) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace at today's news conference

WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Iraqi forces are arriving in Baghdad for a new effort to get a grip on the violence plaguing their capital but probably not yet in sufficient strength, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday.

Gates also took issue with estimates for the cost of sending extra U.S. combat forces as part of that effort and for the amount of support troops needed to sustain them.

Under the plans to try to clamp down on the sectarian killing and other deadly attacks in Baghdad, both Iraqi and U.S. forces are providing extra troops for the city.

Gen. George Casey, the outgoing commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, said on Thursday Iraqi units were deploying on schedule -- in contrast to previous operations to secure the city -- but only had between 55 and 65 percent of their manpower.

"Fifty-five percent probably isn't good enough," Gates told a news conference at the Pentagon.

But he noted many Iraqi troops had to go back to their home regions to deliver their pay to their families and he did not know if the units would be better staffed by the time they faced combat.

Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the U.S. military's joint chiefs of staff, said the Iraqi units would need to increase their strength to be combat-ready.

"They do need to continue to flesh out those units, get all those who may be home taking their money to their families and get them in," he said, speaking at the same news conference.

President George W. Bush said last month he would send some 21,500 extra U.S. troops to Iraq, with the bulk of them heading for Baghdad, in an effort to get a grip on the violence.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that the troop increase could cost about $13 billion for a four-month mission and said the combat forces may have to be augmented by up to 28,000 support troops.

"The CBO study, I think, dramatically overstates both the cost and the personnel," Gates said.

He suggested the number of support troops could be between 2,800 and 4,200.

"We think that number -- it's not settled for sure right now -- but that number looks, right now, like it will be about 10 percent to 15 percent of the number that CBO cited," he said.

Read the rest at Reuters/Alternet

Related Link:
Report: 90,000 U.S., Iraqi combined force readying for Baghdad 'crackdown'

Related Link:
Congressional Budget Office: Surge may take up to 28,000 additional 'support' troops, pushing total to 49,500