Pentagon approves more military police for Iraq

The Pentagon has approved a request by the new US commander in Iraq for an extra 2,200 military police (MPs) to help deal with an anticipated increase in detainees during the current Baghdad security crackdown.

Defence Secretary Robert Gates said early indications were that the Iraqi government was meeting the commitments it made to bolster security, although he cautioned that it was too early to reach any firm conclusions about the outcome.