Bush says more U.S. troops to be deployed in Baghdad

U.S. President George W. Bush, at a joint press conference in the White House on Tuesday with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki after their talks, said that additional U.S. troops will be deployed in Baghdad in the coming weeks.

"Our strategy is to remain on the offense, including in Baghdad. Under the prime minister's leadership, coalition and Iraqi leaders are modifying their operational concept to bring greater security to the Iraqi capital," Bush said.

Bush said that coalition and Iraqi forces will secure individual neighborhoods or ensure the existence of an Iraqi security presence in the neighborhoods and gradually expand the security presence as Iraqi citizens help them root out those who instigate violence.

"This plan will involve embedding more U.S. military police with Iraqi police units to make them more effective," Bush said.

Bush made the remarks after the security situation in Baghdad sharply worsened as bombing and shootings soared by 40 percent in the Baghdad area in the past week.

Source: Xinhua