Wednesday
Oct112006
Pentagon Update
Wednesday, October 11, 2006 at 3:00AM
By Wendy Wang
Iraq
Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, and General George Casey briefed Pentagon press in the afternoon after meeting with the president on the ground situation in Iraq. First thing they were asked was about the report that 655,000 Iraqi civilian lives have been lost. Earlier, Pentagon spokesman, Bryan Whitman deferred to the Iraqi Ministry of Health to put out hard numbers on civilian causalities. General Casey puts the actual number at 50,000, saying that he would not lend credibility to the reported 655,000. Asked where he got his number of 50,000, was it US assessment or Iraqi assessment, Casey says he did not recall. The Pentagon was mindful to remind everyone that the US coalition forces are always careful to avoid civilian causalities while the enemy forces are not. The foreign fighters in particular have taken to target civilians in the fighting.
Earlier, Army General Peter Schoomaker was reported as saying that he has plans in place for troop rotation until 2010. Rumsfeld felt that Schoomaker was mischaracterized in the report as Schoomaker is not the one to make such a determination. That is up to Secretary and the President in consultation with General Peter Pace and General John Abizaid.
Casey maintains that the situation in Iraq is not civil war. He maintains that violence is contained to 5 providences and that the Iraqi forces are making great progress. He would not subscribe to civil war "theory."
North Korea
The National Geology Service tracked an earthquake off the shores of
Japan. It was no where near the Korean Peninsula, and is not, as far as
they know, a second nuke test. Rumsfeld would not confirm the detonation of the first test despite what North Korea claimed. He was asked if diplomacy would still hold or would military presence be needed to speed along diplomacy to which Rumsfeld responded that time will tell. He strongly supports the president, saying that the president is on the right path by leveraging world opinion.
There are currently no changes or planning to change posturing or
positioning of armed forces in the region.
Iraq
Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, and General George Casey briefed Pentagon press in the afternoon after meeting with the president on the ground situation in Iraq. First thing they were asked was about the report that 655,000 Iraqi civilian lives have been lost. Earlier, Pentagon spokesman, Bryan Whitman deferred to the Iraqi Ministry of Health to put out hard numbers on civilian causalities. General Casey puts the actual number at 50,000, saying that he would not lend credibility to the reported 655,000. Asked where he got his number of 50,000, was it US assessment or Iraqi assessment, Casey says he did not recall. The Pentagon was mindful to remind everyone that the US coalition forces are always careful to avoid civilian causalities while the enemy forces are not. The foreign fighters in particular have taken to target civilians in the fighting.
Earlier, Army General Peter Schoomaker was reported as saying that he has plans in place for troop rotation until 2010. Rumsfeld felt that Schoomaker was mischaracterized in the report as Schoomaker is not the one to make such a determination. That is up to Secretary and the President in consultation with General Peter Pace and General John Abizaid.
Casey maintains that the situation in Iraq is not civil war. He maintains that violence is contained to 5 providences and that the Iraqi forces are making great progress. He would not subscribe to civil war "theory."
North Korea
The National Geology Service tracked an earthquake off the shores of
Japan. It was no where near the Korean Peninsula, and is not, as far as
they know, a second nuke test. Rumsfeld would not confirm the detonation of the first test despite what North Korea claimed. He was asked if diplomacy would still hold or would military presence be needed to speed along diplomacy to which Rumsfeld responded that time will tell. He strongly supports the president, saying that the president is on the right path by leveraging world opinion.
There are currently no changes or planning to change posturing or
positioning of armed forces in the region.
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