Those ‘Up to 300’ Troops in Iraq Are Now About 750

Two weeks ago, Barack Obama
announced that he was sending “up to 300” troops to Iraq. Now
The New York Times
reports that the number has grown:

Obama
administration officials said that about 200 more troops had been
sent to protect the American Embassy in Baghdad and the Baghdad
airport. The additional troops, who arrived on Sunday, will operate
helicopters and drones to “bolster airfield and route security,”
Rear Adm. John F. Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, said in a
statement.

In addition to those forces, another 100 troops who the Pentagon
had previously said would be sent to Iraq are headed to Baghdad to
help with security and logistics. The moves will raise the total
number of American troops deployed to Iraq for security and
advisory missions to about 750.

As though to complete the bitter taste of 2003, the paper adds
that, as Iraq’s political parties prepare to choose new leaders,
one “prominently mentioned” candidate for prime minister is
Ahmed
Chalabi.