Franks' War Strategy in Iraq Deemed Full of Risks By REUTERS
Filed at 3:36 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. commander Gen. Tommy Franks is electing to bypass some Iraqi forces and not occupy key cities in the dash to Baghdad, raising questions about leaving behind dangerous enemy fighters and chaos in urban areas in the wake of his advancing troops.
Military analysts said on Monday that Franks, the head of U.S. Central Command, may be taking unnecessary risks in the strategy he is employing, including stretching supply lines, allowing concentrations of enemy forces in the rear of his advancing troops, and using an invasion force that simply may be too small for the task at hand.
``The force is so light that it probably has the lowest ratio to enemy forces of any major ground campaign we've fielded in the last century,'' said military analyst Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute think tank in Virginia.
In essence the United States is attacking a dozen Iraqi divisions with two divisions of its own, he said. Divisions generally are composed of roughly 15,000 troops.
more..........
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/politics/politics-iraq-usa-strategy.html