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Pentagon lashes out at war plan critics

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

NEW YORK APRIL 2. The top civilian and military brass at the Pentagon are making it known that criticisms of war plans and strategies are not helpful and are coming in harm's way of the soldiers in the frontlines.

"It's not helpful to have those kinds of comments come out especially when we've got troops in combat, because, first of all, they're false, absolutely wrong, bear no resemblance to truth and it's just harmful to our troops that are out there fighting very bravely, very courageously...," argued the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Richard Myers.

At the Pentagon on Tuesday, both Gen. Myers and the Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, did not hide their anger at retired and active military officers including military experts who are questioning the judgment of sending in a `lean' force to do the job in Iraq. Mr. Rumsfeld, who is the centre of attention in the ongoing firestorm of criticism that it was he who cut the force size to about one-half, called those reports `just not true.'

The media seized on the issue the moment the Commander of the main army ground force in Iraq, Lt. Gen William Wallace, expressed reservations of the war plan.

"The enemy we're fighting against is different from the one we'd war-gamed against," Lt. Gen Wallace said in remarks that touched off anger in the top echelons of the Pentagon and even the White House. At the Pentagon briefing on Tuesday, Mr. Rumsfeld argued that Gen Franks was made to re-work on an Iraqi invasion plan taken out of the shelves that was "really ancient, years old."

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