US considers Iraq reinforcements



The US is examining the possibility of sending more troops to Iraq if the situation there gets out of control, a top Central Command official has said. The official confirmed that commanders had been asked to present such options, but said the US military did not believe it was needed.

The comments came on the second day of anti-coalition protests by supporters of radical Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr.

The US-led coalition said it had issued an arrest warrant for Mr Sadr.

A coalition spokesman said earlier that the warrant was in connection with the murder of a rival cleric a year ago.

Al-Khoei killed in Najaf

Mr Sadr has denied any involvement in the killing of Abdel-Majid al-Khoei in Najaf in April 2003.

He has barricaded himself with armed supporters in a mosque in Kufa, south of Baghdad.

On Monday, US helicopter gunships targeted militia members loyal to Mr Sadr in the mainly Shia district of al-Shuala in Baghdad.

The BBC's Justin Webb says President George W Bush is coming under increasing pressure over his Iraq policy.

Prominent Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy has called the war Mr Bush's Vietnam.

His remarks were dismissed by Republicans, but the most recent opinion poll seems to suggest that on the subject of Iraq, public opinion is shifting rapidly away from the White House.
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as usual, its so like teddy boy to politicize a perceived national problem. this isn't close to vietnam and anyone with a history text can (or should) tell you the same. anyways, its about time they sent more troops. its clear that the hand over of security detail to the iraqi police was premature.

as for sadr, his time is just about up. he is a power hungry fool who inherited all his power from his dad. he is a bad leader, without charisma and is disdained by Ayatollah Sistani and the rest of the Shia establishment, which is far more accomodating and moderate than Sadr. it was at the insistenc of other shia that sadr be left out of the governing council. and thank god. would you want such a monster running the place?