Pentagon says Iraq forces will rise to 135,000

By Our Foreign Staff

THE Pentagon announced yesterday that it was increasing the number of US forces in Iraq to 135,000, dashing the hopes of the Bush Administration that they would be able to reduce the number by tens of thousands ahead of the Congressional elections in November.

Officials said that there were already 16 Army and Marine brigades in Iraq, two more than the level several months ago. The total troops there had already reached 132,000, and would climb in the coming weeks, buoyed by the decision to delay the scheduled return home this month of an Alaskan Army brigade.