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Concerned about escalating violence as Iraq struggles to form a new government, the US military has sent several hundred troops with tanks and other armor from Kuwait to the Baghdad area.

It is the first time extra troops have been sent since December's parliamentary election, which was followed by a period of political wrangling and a wave of sectarian violence triggered by the bombing of a Shiite shrine on Feb. 22.

Moving an Army battalion of about 700 soldiers from Kuwait is part of a broader plan, dubbed "Scales of Justice," that includes the repositioning of several thousand US and Iraqi security forces inside Iraq, officials said Wednesday.

The moves, which include two other Army battalions, come in anticipation of potential sectarian violence related to a Shiite pilgrimage this month marking the Arba'een religious holiday and in response to a request by the Iraqi government.

The only unit added from outside Iraq is the battalion from Kuwait, which is part of the 1st Armored Division.

The decision to add the armored unit from Kuwait, though meant to be temporary, is in contrast to the Bush administration's hopes of substantially reducing the US military presence in Iraq this year. There are currently about 133,000 US troops there. It comes amid Bush administration efforts to persuade the American public that the war effort is succeeding. Opinion polls show faltering public support for the war.

Gen. George Casey, the top US commander in Iraq, was quoted in a news release from Baghdad as saying he had discussed the plan with Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, "and we found it prudent to provide this additional support."

"We called forces forward to provide support to the ISF (Iraqi security forces) for a safe observance of the Arba'een religious holiday and the formation of the new Iraqi government," Casey added.

The battalion is to return to Kuwait "after its mission is completed," said Casey, who did not elaborate.

The general did not say whether more troop increases might be needed this spring. Just last week, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said that while US forces were prepared to support the Iraqis during any escalation of sectarian violence, the plan was to rely mainly on Iraq's own security forces in the event of all-out civil war.

In a brief written announcement, the US military headquarters in Baghdad did not mention the number of soldiers in the battalion that moved from Kuwait, but officers at the Pentagon said it was about 700 and included mechanized infantry with tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles as well as combat engineers.

The officials who provided details beyond what was announced in Baghdad did so on condition they not be identified.

The battalion moved from Kuwait is part of a brigade of the 1st Armored Division that was placed there late last year to be available for a short-notice deployment to Iraq in case commanders needed extra firepower.

As of Wednesday, the battalion's troops were either patrolling streets in the Baghdad area or preparing to start patrolling, one official said.

The "Scales of Justice" plan focuses on averting or responding to violence connected to the pilgrimage and the political wrangling over formation of a new government. It includes two Iraqi army battalions and three Iraqi national police battalions, besides the three US Army battalions. No total number of personnel associated with the plan was provided in the Baghdad announcement, but it appeared to be about 3,700.

The holiday pilgrimages are to holy sites in Najaf and Karbala, predominantly Shiite areas where the potential for sectarian violence would be of great concern. Increased attacks marked the celebration during 2004 and 2005.

Monday marks the end of the 40-day mourning period after the death of Imam Hussein in 680 A.D. He was the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and was killed in Karbala in present day Iraq, now the site of large Shiite pilgrimages to mark the date.

On Capitol Hill, Gen. John Abizaid, the top US commander in the Middle East, did not mention the reinforcements sent to Iraq. He was not asked about it during testimony before the House Armed Services Committee.

Abizaid told the panel he does not believe Iraq is on the verge of a civil war.

"I am concerned abut the levels of sectarian violence," Abizaid said. "They have certainly shown that bubbling beneath the surface is a great deal of concern in the various communities." He said a national unified government must emerge soon to control the sectarian violence.

(Chinadaily.com via agencies March 16, 2006)