U.S. activates 16,000 more troops in Iraq buildup
(Reuters 02/26 10:29:28)
WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. military, preparing
for a possible war with Iraq, said on Wednesday it had
activated more than 16,000 additional Reserve troops, bringing
the total number of reservists on active duty to more than
168,000.
The United States is building a large military force,
including ground troops, warplanes and numerous warships, in
the Gulf region for use in a possible invasion of Iraq.
The Pentagon began calling up part-time Reserve troops
after the Sept. 11 2001 attacks on the United States to help
provide protection at home, but has greatly escalated the
activations in recent weeks to support regular units.
The Defense Department said an addition 16,735 reservists
had been called to active duty in the past week, bringing the
total Reserve and National Guard troops on active duty to
168,083. Many of the mobilized reservists are heading to the
Gulf region.
The weekly Pentagon announcement on Reserve and National
Guard troops on duty included the following totals: Army
National Guard and Army Reserve, 123,448; Air National Guard
and Air Force Reserve, 19,906; Marine Corps Reserve, 14,727;
Naval Reserve, 6,933; and Coast Guard Reserve, 3,069.
The current activation of reserve troops already was the
largest since the 1991 Gulf War. The United States mobilized
about 265,000 reservists during that conflict, with about
110,000 sent to the Gulf region, according to the Pentagon.
((Reporting by Will Dunham, editing by David Storey; Reuters
Messaging: will.dunham.reuters.com@reuters.net;
will.dunham@reuters.com; +1 202 898 8300, fax +1 703 979-7220))
REUTERS
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