21,000 troops notified for Iraq deployment

By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writer Tue Jun 20, 7:43 PM ET

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has notified about 21,000 Army soldiers and Marines that they are scheduled to be sent to Iraq late this year as part of the latest deployment rotation.

Four major combat brigades from Texas, Alaska and Colorado are scheduled to replace troops returning home from the war, the Pentagon said. Thus, the announcement does not signal an increase in troop strength in Iraq.

In a press release Tuesday, the Pentagon said the planned assignments could change depending on the conditions in Baghdad. The move comes as Pentagon officials and the Bush administration are under increasing pressure from Congress and the public to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq.

Combined with last November's announcement of 92,000 American service members scheduled to go to Iraq in the 2006-2008 rotation, this would bring the total U.S. troop level to about 113,000 for that period. That is less than the approximately 138,000 average troop level for the past year, but more than military officials' goal of less than 100,000 by the end of the year.

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