General Dempsey: U.S., Iraq to spend $14 billion for 40,000 new Iraqi soldiers

Iraq and the United States are to spend 14 billion dollars and recruit 40,000 new soldiers into the Iraqi armed forces in the next 18 months, a US military commander said Sunday.

US army Lieutenant General Martin Dempsey, who is in charge of training Iraqi security forces, said that America will spend five billion dollars and the remaining nine billion would come from Iraqi coffers.

Dempsey said the plan is driven by how "the Iraqis want their security forces to look" in the future and and not just to "solve problems of today."

By end of 2007, the Iraqi army will field 170,700 soldiers -- 34,500 more than at the end of last year -- and swell from 10 to 12 divisions.

The Iraqi police force -- including local, national and border patrol units -- will grow to 198,600 personnel, up from 192,200 in December 2006.\

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