WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- The new strategy for Iraq involves more than 20,000 troops and will cost over $5 billion, according to the White House.
The plan will call for an additional five U.S. Army brigades to be sent to Baghdad, about 15,000 soldiers. The plan also calls for two additional battalions plus additional Marines, a total of about 4,000, to be sent to Anbar province.
The additional troops will cost about $5.6 billion. That amount includes an additional $14 million for provincial reconstruction teams, manned in part by State Department personnel. It will also include $350 million for the Commanders Emergency Response Program, a cash account that allows military commanders to immediately implement local reconstruction projects. Another $400 million is to be set aside for a State Department "quick-response" fund.
The United States has spent more than $260 billion on the Iraq war since 2003, plus $29 billion for reconstruction projects.
The Iraqi government has promised to send three Iraqi brigades to join the fight in Baghdad by Feb. 15. Those Iraqi forces were requested last summer but did not show up, so if they arrive it will be an indication that the Maliki government is attempting to hold up its end of the plan.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has also announced a $10 billion economic plan to create jobs for Iraqis. Restarting the stalled economy is believed to be a critical component to draining support from the insurgency and militias.
