In the face of sophisticated attacks on U.S. forces, the Pentagon is sending flocks of unmanned spyplanes and a new unit formed to deal with deadly explosive devices to Iraq in the biggest rotation of its forces since World War II, a senior Army official said on Thursday. “It has started,” the official said in a briefing for reporters on the new-year rotation in which a U.S. force of more than 120,000 in Iraq and another 11,000 in Afghanistan will be replaced by fresh soldiers by the end of May. The official, who asked not to be identified, said troops from the 82nd Airborne Division began flying to Iraq from North Carolina on Wednesday and some equipment from other Army units began flowing on ships as early as last week. “This is the biggest move we’ve done … since World War II,” the official said of the massive flow of soldiers and Marines. “We’re moving 240,000-plus” back and forth. Emphasis in the new Iraq force will be put on troop mobility, aerial reconnaissance and more effectively dealing with remote-controlled “improvised explosive devices” (IED) that are being used against U.S. troops by supporters of the deposed Iraqi regime. Full Story
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