![]() ![]() commanders to deal with the situation there. CNN has learned that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has approved a request to have 20,000 troops remain in Iraq for three months at the request of U.S. JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the last time the Pentagon extended the tours of troops in Iraq back in November, it said it was going to limit their service to one year and that would put some predictability in their lives.īut the unpredictable situation in Iraq has now prompted the Pentagon to back off that promise. Our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre is joining us now with more details - Jamie. And the defense secretary is doing just that by extending combat duty for 20,000 American forces. President Bush says he will provide the United States military with the forces it needs to end the fighting in Iraq. Both of seen as long standing sources of insecurity and if left to fester now, they believe they will only come back to cause more trouble in the future - Wolf.īLITZER: Jim Clancy in Baghdad for us tonight. troops to pull back from around the city of Najaf and put his case instead in the hands of religious leaders in hopes of preventing his capture or death.ĬLANCY: Some Iraqis want the coalition to keep up the pressure on al-Sadr and on Fallujah. Also trapped, radical Shi'a leader Muqtada al-Sadr's whose armed militia overran police stations and government buildings from Baghdad to Basra last week.Ī spokesman for al-Sadr admitted Wednesday that the leader of the al-Mahdi army had dropped demands for U.S. Marines had surrounded Fallujah and a foreign fighters and former regime sympathizers were trapped. Iraqis watching the security situation told CNN there are increasing suspicions Fallujah has been used as a base of operations for foreign terrorists.ĭespite widespread fears, suicide attacks that killed or wounded hundreds of Iraqis, two months ago, were not repeated in Shi'a Muslim commemorations last weekend. But it is unclear how long they will hold these positions and wait for stalled talks to produce a peaceful solution. And of course they would not leave without their weapons.ĬLANCY: Wednesday in Fallujah, Marines sand bagged their lines and replenished supplies. The key sticking points in the talks, getting those now controlling Fallujah to lay down their arms and leave.ĪHMED CHALABI, IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL: I'm afraid if they left Fallujah they would be arrested right away. ![]() And the aim is to kill him and kill any hopes of ending this crisis.ĬLANCY: The assassination attempts by gunmen inside the city occurred earlier this week. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was an assassination attempt - two attempts on his life by the terrorists, of course. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)ĬLANCY (voice-over): As the fragile on again, off again cease- fire in Fallujah was extended 48 hours, the Iraqi Governing Council revealed its negotiator had come under attack. Questions, too, about how long this cease-fire can last. JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, let's focus in on Fallujah where there are serious doubts tonight some of those fighters inside Fallujah really want to negotiate. CNN's Jim Clancy is in Baghdad joining us now live with more developments - Jim. On top of this, there's no end in sight to the latest fighting that centered around the cities of Fallujah and Najaf. officials say that more American troops have been killed in April, a total of at least 84 than in any month since the start of the war. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These are historic and courageous actions.īLITZER: Found alive, left alone for a week at the bottom of a ravine a little girl's amazing story of survival.ĪNNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Wednesday, April 14, 2004.īLITZER: A grim milestone in Iraq for American forces. ![]() Getting out of Gaza but staying on in parts of the West Bank. Did the president persuade this country to stay the course? But is a key enemy backing down? Some nations call for a pull-out. I wonder whether we have five years.īLITZER: Stepping up to siege. KEAN, COMMISSION CHAIRMAN: Five years to rebuild. TENET, DIRECTOR, CIA: It will take us another five years to have the kind of clandestine service our country needs. The CIA couldn't stop them, and FBI couldn't catch them. WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Scary scenario. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. 9/11 Hearings Continue Did Bush Persuade Countries to Stay Course in Iraq? ![]()
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