New York, Oct 30: Alarmed over the increasing attacks on US troops in Iraq, President George W Bush has reportedly told the Pentagon to revamp and accelerate its plans for putting Iraqi security forces on the job in the war torn nation even if their training is significantly shortened. According to military and administration officials Bush's desire to speed up yet again the rate at which Iraqis are put on the streets to supplement the 130,000 American troops in Iraq was the dominant subject at a meeting of the national security council in the White House yesterday.
"He made it clear that it's not happening fast enough," The New York Times reported quoting a senior official familiar with the discussion.
As part of a plan the pentagon is still developing, thousands of Iraqis who are now acting essentially as security guards at oil operations, pipelines and other potential terrorist targets would be given a few weeks of training in Iraq and neighbouring jordan, the paper said.
They would then be put on the front lines as militiamen, chiefly in the Sunni-dominated area northwest of Baghdad where the attacks have in recent days, officials were quoted as saying.
Bureau Report