Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld acknowledged yesterday that he had not expected the level of violence confronting U.S. forces in Iraq, but he stood by his decision to send fewer troops than some Army officials and lawmakers have argued were necessary to stabilize the country. His remarks came during a Pentagon news conference at which Rumsfeld announced a three-month extension in tours for about 20,000 troops, keeping combat strength in place to handle attacks by Sunni and Shiite insurgents that have led to record-high casualties for U.S. forces. Rumsfeld said the extensions would allow the total number of U.S. troops to remain about 135,000, superseding previous plans to reduce the level to about 115,000. Full Story
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