WASHINGTON, July 21 (AFP) - US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld insisted Wednesday that there are enough US troops deployed in confict-torn Iraq and said American commanders on the ground have judged their manpower to be adequate for the operations in hand.
"The fact of the matter is, I have said and have consistently said, and repeatedly said, publicly and privately, that the commanders on the ground are the ones that are making the recommendations," Rumsfeld said.
"And they have recommended the number of troops that were used to win the war very rapidly. They are the ones that have recommended the total number of troops that are there today, and that we have agreed with them."
Rumsfeld said the troop numbers had also been approved by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers, adding "I have not been an advocate of any particular number, nor have I been an opponent of any particular number.
"I have listened to the arguments of the military commanders and anyone who suggests to the contrary is mistaken. It's just a fact."
Numerous US lawmakers, including Republican Senator John McCain, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, have said insufficient US troops took part in the invasion of Iraq, and a lack of manpower was partly responsible for the subsequent post-war spike in violent resistance.