US to boost troop numbers before Iraq election

Commanders in Iraq will probably increase their troops by several thousand as the January election approaches, the number two commander of US forces in the Middle East said.

Lt Gen Lance Smith told a Pentagon news conference last night that no final decisions had been made and that the size of the troop increase would depend in part on whether the uprising grew or weakened in the aftermath of the Fallujah offensive, which he called a major success.