Wire: US Considers Deploying Troops to Disputed Area of Northern Iraq

Off the Wire:

WASHINGTON, Sept. 1, 2009 -- Newswire services this afternoon reported that the top U.S. military commander in Iraq recently said he wants to send American troops to a disputed strip of territory in northern Iraq to defuse growing tensions between Iraqi security forces and the Kurdish militia.

General Ray Odierno says the goal is to build trust between the two sides and bridge the gap between feuding Kurds and Arabs.

The disputed area includes Ninevah Province, which has experienced a string of bloody bombings recently, including in Mosul, one of Iraq's largest cities. The U.S. blames al-Qaida in Iraq for the violence, According to VOA News.

VOA said U.S. troops would deploy in Ninevah to partner with the Kurdish militia, Peshmerga, and Iraqi security forces controlled by the Arab-led government.

(Report from newswire sources.)

Source: US Proposes Sending Troops to Disputed Area of Northern Iraq

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