Pentagon: 12,000 troop increase above 160,000 'surge' troop levels to extend into December; 40,000 troops added since February

Above: Soldiers with the 7th Cavalry Regiment move back to their vehicles after apartment searches in the Adhamiyah neighborhood of Baghdad in August.

The number of U.S. troops in Iraq has climbed to a record high of 168,000, and is moving toward a peak of 172,000 in the coming weeks - a level that could extend into December, a senior military official said Thursday.

Maj. Gen. Richard Sherlock, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the increase is the result of troops rotations, as several brigades overlap while they move in and out of the war zone. Previously officials had predicted the number could go up to about 171,000.

Prior to the recent increases, the peak level was about 160,000 during January 2005. For most of 2006, the number of troops hovered around a baseline of 135,000. President Bush ordered a buildup of about 30,000 troops early this year in an effort to quell the violence in and around Baghdad and provide enough security to stabilize the government.

After the rotations are complete, Sherlock said, the number of troops should drop back down to about 162,000 or a bit less. The temporary buildup comes just as the military, the Bush administration and Congress are deciding the future war strategy.

Read the rest at the Guardian

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