Click to play videoNew Delhi: For the first time on Wednesday, President George W Bush admitted that the United States was not winning the war in Iraq. This is a turnaround from his earlier insistence that America is absolutely winning. He also called for increasing American troops, though only temporarily.
"I'm inclined to believe that we need an increase in the permanent size of both the US Army and US Marines. I've asked (Defence) Secretary (Robert) Gates to determine how such an increase could take place and report back to me as quickly as possible," President Bush said.
Currently, there are about 140,000 US soldiers in Iraq. The US military is also slowly ceding control of Iraq's provinces to the Iraqi Government. Najaf is now the third city to come under Iraqi security control.
The death toll US troops in Iraq has peaked since the interim government took control in 2004.
"There are blasts almost everyday. Many were killed in today's blast too. They have been taken to the hospital," a young Iraqi resident said in Najaf.
After taking over as the new Defense Secretary, Robert Gates wasted no time in visiting Iraq and charting a new course. The Bush administration is believed to be working on a new strategy on Iraq for sometime now. President Bush is widely expected to announce the new strategy in the New Year.
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