BAGHDAD, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- A central feature of U.S. President George W. Bush's new Iraq war plan faces resistance from Iraqi government officials, The New York Times reported.
The plan calls for deploying more than 20,000 additional U.S. troops in Iraq. A major element of the plan, a push to secure Baghdad, is running into problems as U.S. officials present it to Iraqi officials, the newspaper said.
U.S. officials have been working with Iraqi military officers on implementing the plan for the Iraqi capital, with the first U.S. and Iraqi units involved in the operation due to be in place within weeks, the Times said. American officials involved in preparing for the plan have described the process as problematic, with disagreement over such issues as chain of command and force protection for American troops in dangerous parts of Baghdad.
U.S. officials told the newspaper they are concerned that the Shiite-led government might frustrate the Bush plan to crack down equally on Shiite and Sunni extremists.
"We are implementing a strategy to embolden a government that is actually part of the problem," said a U.S. military official in Baghdad involved in implementing the plan. "We are being played like a pawn."
