U.S. rushes troops to Iraq as Congress weighs funds

By Kristin Roberts

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The thinly stretched U.S. military said on Monday it would send thousands of troops back to Iraq ahead of schedule, as some lawmakers proposed cutting off funds for the increasingly unpopular war.

The U.S. Defence Department said its decision to deploy 9,000 service members would allow commanders to maintain heightened force levels for the new Baghdad security crackdown through at least August.

Two of the affected Army units, totalling about 4,500 troops, will return to combat short of their promised year at home, reflecting the strain placed on U.S. forces by commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

One unit will deploy 81 days short of the year-long "dwell time" at home and the second will return 47 days short of a year, said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman.

"This is a reflection that this is a military that is in conflict," Whitman said. "We're obviously using a significant portion of the force, combat units of the force, and it's a reflection of the realities that exist right now."

The Pentagon has increased troop levels in Iraq by about 30,000 in an attempt to regain control of security and reduce sectarian violence in Baghdad under President George W. Bush's new Iraq war policy, set earlier this year.

The units announced on Monday largely replace forces already in Iraq, which number around 145,000.

CONGRESS RAISES PRESSURE