The Pentagon has decided to deploy 5,000 more troops in Baghdad to help stop rampant violence there.

The reinforcement will be made possible largely by delaying the departure of 3,500 troops from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team for 120 days, the Pentagon said in a statement Thursday.

As part of the new plan, four companies of U.S. military police, or some 400 soldiers, are moving to Baghdad, and the remainder of a reserve force in Kuwait --equaling about another 400 troops -- will also head for the Iraqi capital.

In the wake of increased bloodsheds in Baghdad since mid-June and a failed crackdown by U.S. and Iraqi forces, U.S. President George W. Bush announced Tuesday he will boost U.S. military presence in Baghdad.

Earlier, Pentagon officials had said they will shift some U.S. forces to the capital from other locations in Iraq.

Withholding the departure of 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team also signals that the U.S. current troop levels in Iraq, about 127, 000, won't change in any time soon.

The Pentagon also identified four other brigades for deployment to Iraq late this year and early next year, enough to keep the current troop levels.

Source: Xinhua

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