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Show Monday, August 20, 2007 DAILY HERALD A2 tending Iraq buildup would be tough for Army A Lee Newspaper Established in 1873 Customer Service Newsroom THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 801-344-25- WASHINGTON Sapped by nearly six yean of war, the Army has nearly exhausted its fighting force and its options if the Bush administration decides to extend the Iraq buildup beyond next spring. The Army's 38 available combat units are deployed, just returning home or already tapped to go to Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere, leaving no fresh troops to replace five : extra brigades that President Bush sent to Baghdad this year, according to interviews and military documents reviewed by The Associated Press. That presents the Pentagon with several painful choices if the U.S. wants to maintain higher troop levels beyond the Toll free 8003804075 FAX 8013736489 , www.herakfextra.axn Street address: 1555 N. Freedom Blvd, Ptwx UT Send mail to: P.Q Bax 717, Ptova, UT 846030717 NEWS EDITORS . 2008: on an accelerated schedule. pledge to keep soldiers in Iraq no longer than 15 months, Breaching a commitment to give soldiers a full year at home before sending them back to war. d : For a nation and a Congress bent on bringing troops home, none Of those is desirable. In Iraq, there are 18 Army brigades, each with about 1500 soldiers. At least 13 more bri gades are scheduled to rotate ulTwi others are in Afghani-.- . stan and two additional ones are set to rotate in there. Also, . several other brigades either are set for a future deployment or are scattered around the globe. war-fatigue- 375-510- ADVERTISING 1 3708450 CLASSIFIED Delivsfy by 6 a.m. MorvW 7 a.m, Sat-Su- n Fof missing paper, call by 9:30 a.m. . . The Daily Herald (ISSN 08912777, USPS 143460) i published morn:. New ivbteripHoi. restarts, detimyar ings, Sunday through Saturday, ' Lee a ::. cam 3 by JMslono( Publication, week-Information, ' bating N. Lee 1555 Inc., Rom to Enterprises, am. 3:30 6 am days Freedom Blvd., Provo, Utah 84604. ; susscmptiqn momams Periodicals postage paid at Provo, ' Utah. Postmaster: Send address M) SStindw Thur, Fn, tataunl changes to The Daily Herald, Pn. Box 717, Provo, Utah 846088717.. TTumiay Or, suBsaunioiis longer that you keep American forces there, the longer you give this process to solidify and to make sure that M's not going to slide back, said Frederick Kagan, an American Enterprise Institute analyst who recently returned visit to Iraq. from an eight-da- y The sooner you take them out, the more you run the risk that enemies will come in and try to disrupt. Kagan, a leading supporter of the current buildup strategy, said any decision to maintain force levels would have to take into account the effects on the Army. That would indude, he said, the strains of sending Guard units back to Iraq more rapidly than Pentagon policy allows or keeping active duty units there longer than 15 : . 000-stro- months. "You have the same tradeoff it every moment in this process, which is the institutional . . I Breaking the military's delivery place deployment and tion policies that allow us to As of March, nearly S7 percent ol meet the current demands. If alUA Hoops have returned since the demands don't go down being deployed and 35 percent have been isdeptayad. over time, R will become increasingly difficult for us to hoop deployment, M branches March 2007 provide the trained and ready forces for other Mwsrdmioyad Cssey said he would not be - comfortable extending troops ' Daptoyadoncs beyond their ISmonth deployments. But other military of- 91,766 fidals mora acknowledge privately Dapfoyad Sianonca that option ia on the table. Pentagon leaders hope there is enough progress in Iraq to SOURCE: US. IMWV allow them to scale back at least part of the nearly 30, The few units that are not at war, in transformation or buildup when soldiers in their 12months home time begin leaving Iraq around March and ApriL already are penciled in for de There are 162,000 U.S. ployments later in 2008 or into 2009. Shifting them would cre- troops in Iraq now, the highest level since the war began in ate problems in the long-terschedule. 2001 That figure is expected Most Army brigades have tohk 17 1,000 this fall as fresh completed two or three tours troops rotate in Gen David Petraeus, the in Iraq or Afghanistan; some top commander in Iraq who. assignments have lasted as long as 15 months. The 2nd Bri-f- win deliver a much anticipated progress report to Congress in gade, 10th Mountain Division, has done four tours. September, said Wednesday he is considering possible troop Two Marine regiments cuts and believes the US. win each roughly the same size iu an Army brigade are also have fewer forces in Iraq by in Iraq, bringing the total num- next summer. Other commanders have ber of brigades in the country said the security situation is to20. When asked what units improving, which would allow win fill the void in the comUS, troops to be shifted from ing spring if any need to be .....: combat and lead to an eventual force reduction ' replaced, officials give a grim Still, Petraeus and other shake of the head, shrug of the shoulders or a palms-umilitary leaders have warned empty-hande- d against drawing down too gesture. The demand for our forces' quickly. In fact, an upbeat exceeds the sustainable supprogress report in September may solidify arguments that ply, the Army chief of staff, additk Gen. George Casey, said last troops should stay week. Right now we have in longer to ensure that positive : Tithing National Guard units Home Ceastick. Departing for war Lolita C Baldor 375-510- 3 . g of the Army versus what is felt is necessary to win the war, Kagan said. According to military officials, some soldien far Iraq are hearing that it may not be wise to pack their bags to come home when their 15manthtour is up. But to date, Pentagon officials, including Defense Sec retary Robert Gates, have sakl they have no plans to extend those tours. National Guard officials Are bracing for a new round of Guard deployments and a move to decrease their time at home between tours despite announced plans to give the citizen soldiers five years off for every one year served. well-bein- or : . : : . . . p, -- MtxvS Sunder 0Ahr Tnur, Sun -- 4 HoHday SnSuary Includes delivery MEMBER, AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS . i the weak o ( Eaatar, Memorial pay, . Independenca Day, Pioneer Day, Labor Dm, ThankigMng, Chnstmas and New Veer's Dm- - ' Al eontento Copyitf O 2007, DaHy HanM. Any reproduction or other uss Is strictly pmhltltad without written permission. iU l in Xfcfifzit, 7 i U Hf AT7AM AilNMA. A8t MM, Fill HIa UT rich hntmcmt watii. VDIM Lisa ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER JERUSALEM Israel said Sunday it will no longer allow refugees from Darfur to stay after they sneak across the herder from Egypt, drawing ' criticism from those who say the Jewish state is morally obliged to niter sanctuary to people fleeing mass murder. Israel has been grappling for months over bow to deal with the swelling numbers of Africans, including some from Darfur, who have been crossing the porous desert border. The number of migrants has shot up to as many as 50 a dayj according to the UN. High Commissioner for Refugees, apparently as word of job opportunities in Israel has spread. The rise has led .. to concerns that the country could face a flood of African refugees if k doesn't take a hardier stand on asylum seek--, ' era. '; But Israel has not turned back refugees from Darfur un CHILD and housing. Eytan Schwartz, an advocate for Darfur refugees in seekers would be sent back to Israel objected to any ban on the asylum seekers. The state 2003, Egypt, wkh no exception: Most of the displaced people of Israel has to show compasThe policy of returning . sion for refugees after the back anyone who enters Israel remain in Darfur, but the Jewish people was sutyect to ' illegally win pertain to every-- . U.N. estimates that 236,000 Darthe from across to bonier have fled one, including those persecution throughout ks hisfur, spokesman David Baker neighboring Chad, where they tory, he said said. He offered no explanalive in camps. Tens of thouThe Association for Civil sands of others have sought ... Rights in Israel said in a statetion for the change. ment that k is Israel's moral sanctuary in Egypt, which is Overnight, Israel returned to provide them 48 Africans to Egypt. An Is--, and legal obligation to accept raeli government official said wkh jobs and social services. any refugees or. asylum i ; About 400 of the Darfurians era facing Egypt had guaranteed that who reached Egypt have driv- danger any Darfur refugees would infringements on en and trekked through desert their freedom. not be forced to return to , Sudan. The official spoke m But Ephraim Zuroff of the . sands to cross the unfenced g frontier with IsraeL according condition of anonymity beSimon Wiesen-th- al to the refugees' advocates in cause he wasnot authorized Center said the Jewish to release that information to IsraeL " people could not be expected the press. Israel's response to the ". to right every wrong just be-- . unexpected arrivals has been cause of its past Egyptian Foreign Minister mixed Threats to expel them Ahmed Aboul Gheil told re-- . "Israel cant throw open have clashed with sentiments the gates and allow unlimited porters Sunday that Egypt would accept the refugees for inspired by the memory of access for people who are V Jews seeking sanctuary from basically economic refugees, "very pressing humanitarian Reasons but that this type of the Nazis before and dur- .. Zuroff said . . . . Nazi-huntin- . i f - . . . 463 N. Vnivcrsittf Aw? PROVO 01-373-6- 677 House T SLC - 2731 . PArlevjg Walj tf01-W-02- 22 D c; V.. f : . .. . Kotsu&ay kJ . . . Awaken Ybwr Palate at the ifOAVyi'r.ii ing World War II and being turned away. Some volunteer! have helped migrants find jobs transfer would not be repeated again." Fighting between pro-g- c emment militias and rebels in Darfur has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced 25 million since February til now, and last month Prime. Minister Ehud Oimert said a limited number would even be allowed to remain in IsraeL On Sunday, a government spokesman said all new asylum - - 8AffAI88.8M WWV Matt! Friedman - DINNER HOVRS: Mm - SAt 4:60 pm -- 16:06 pm ..J'l'ISI -- p , r ( Ast Fast C...7 For Pr:&' (CttftfTfll . 1 1 PWwf biiciW Mf Picliwt far rthHtmiog li i ST; 1 1 1 ET A Wj II & 11 Paint l .KII i25X0FF-:-- 1st? Ik flf.OOU A nltJt r SK40Q 1 .i Lexers IYUAppram6fcrMN NnuCapd ShmIMTM hV n lilirt Hmh fori UgjgfwrN V . - - Honeycomb Shade ! 2 '. 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