European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 24, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday March Star s and stripes Page funding impasse could Lead to longer combat deployments by Leo Shane Iii stars and stripes Washington lengthy de lays in finalizing supplemental War fund Rig could Force army leaders to extend some soldiers Tours in Iraq and Afghanistan de sense Secretary Robert Gates said thursday army officials Are planning Cut backs in Home station training cuts in repair of redeployment training equipment and delays in upgrades to Barracks and family faculties at stations worldwide if the presidents billion supple mental request int approved by Congress by april 15 Gates said at a Media round table if the funding impasse stretches past May 15 he said officials will consider even More severe measures cancelling orders on All repair parts for equipment not re lated to War reducing repair work at All army depots and sharply cutting redeployment training of some brigade combat teams this in turn will cause units in theater to have their Tours extended because other units Are not ready to take their place he said United pentecostal Church International asm military ministries Okinawa Japan Rufus Parker and coordinator 0989333441 Japan Marcus Miller 2676887 Misawa Japan Phillip Sanders 2227077 Yokosuka Japan Christopher cortex 2465732 Yokota Japan Nathan Krouse 2273954 Korea Santiago Duran 01193583794 Yon san Korea Michael Mahoney 0263555233 democrats have tied the latest fiscal 2007 supplemental request and More than billion in base closure projects to plans for withdrawal of All us forces from Iraq by sept 1 2008 president Bush has said he will veto any such plan the democratic supplemental funding plan which totals More than billion after various a dons was scheduled to come before the full House later this week House democratic leaders Are offering billions in Federal funds for lawmakers pet projects Large and Small to secure enough votes this week to pass an Iraq funding Bill that would end the War next year Congress already approved billion in supplemental funds for fiscal 2007 As part of the annual defense budget in an Effort to avoid midyear funding shortfalls Gates said another civilian Hir ing freeze and cancelling of non War contracts were also Likely if the funding is not approved in time this kind of disruption to key programs will have a generally Adverse effect on the readiness of the army he said meanwhile Gates did not Rule out the possibility that even More troops could be added to those selected for the surge which num ber about 28700 up from the 21000 proposed by Bush in Janu Ary i Hope and believe that the forces that have been pledged Are sufficient Gates said however he said i have no doubt that As the Baghdad Security plan continues to be put into place certain capabilities might be required that would add to the rosters its not a Static situation Gates said Gates did not say which units might be affected if the funding is not finalized Lisa Burgess contributed to this Story from the Pentagon email Leo Shane at United nations Secretary general ban Kimono ducks behind the podium As a rocket lands inside the Green zone in Central Baghdad during a televised news conference thursday us says it has captured militants tied to go deaths by Qassim Abdulzahra the associated press Baghdad the us military said it had Cap tured the leaders of a shiite insurgent network directly connected to the killing in january of five american soldiers in the holy City of Karbala by gun men speaking English wearing us military uni forms and carrying american weapons the military said the arrests of Qais Alkhaz Aali his brother Laith and several other members of the network took place in the past three Days on wednesday two senior Mahdi army com Manders told the associated press that Qais Alkhaz Aali was the Leader of up to 3000 fighters who defected from the militia and were now financed directly by Iran and no longer Loyal to Radi Cal cleric Muntada a Sadr Qais Alkhaz Aali a cleric in his Early 30s was a close aide to a Sadr in 200304 he served As Alsa drs spokesman in the 2004 fighting in Najaf but has not been seen in Public since late that year a rocket landed near the prime ministers office thursday during the first visit to Iraq by the head of the United nations in nearly a year and a half Send ing Secretary general ban Kimono ducking unharmed behind a podium at a news conference the attack came As prime minister Nouri Alma Likis government said it had been negotiating with sunni insurgents for months the rocket caused no injuries but rattled the build ing in the heavily guarded Green zone sent Small chips of debris floating from the ceiling and left a Threefoot wide Crater about 50 Yards away outside it struck right after Almalik standing next to ban had finished telling reporters that bans visit was a sign that Iraq was on the Road to stability ban lauded Alma Likis governments performance and promised continued in assistance with reconstruction and Security but he appeared to criticize it for not doing enough to broaden the political process authorities imposed an indefinite curfew on the Southern City of Basra after clashes Between the Mahdi army and the rival shiite fadhila party which recently withdrew from Alma Likis government police said the Mahdi militiamen fought fadhila guards outside party Headquarters capturing eight before the building caught fire twelve Mahdi army fighters were wounded they said clashes also erupted near the residence of Basra fadhila governor Mohammed Alwaely police said three us service members two soldiers and a Marine were killed wednesday in separate clashes in Baghdad and volatile Western Anbar province the military said the Soldier was killed by Small arms fire in West Ern Baghdad while his patrol was returning to base from combat operations while the Marine and the other Soldier were killed during fighting in Anbar shiite militia in Iraq might be splintering for service location time please Call the Contact in your area by Hamza Kendawi and Qassim Abdulzahra the associated press Baghdad the violent shiite militia known As the Mahdi army is breaking into splinter groups with up to 3000 gunmen now financed directly by Iran and no longer Loyal to the firebrand cleric Muntada a Sadr add ing a potentially even More deadly element to Iraq violent mix two senior militia commanders told the associated press that hundreds of these fighters have crossed into Iran for training by the elite buds Force a Branch of Iran revolutionary guard thought to have trained Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon and Muslim fighters in bos Nia and Afghanistan the breakup is an ominous development at a time when us and iraqi forces Are working to defeat religious based militias and secure Iraq under government control while Alsa drs forces have battled the coalition repeatedly including pitched Battles in 2004 Treyve mostly stayed in the background Dur ing the latest offensive the us military has asserted in recent months that Iran revolutionary guards and buds Force have been providing shiite militias with weapons and parts for sophisticated armo piercing bombs the so called Fps explosively formed Penetra tors Are responsible for the deaths of More than 170 Ameri can and coalition soldiers since mid2004 the military says in the latest such attack four us soldiers were killed March 15 by a Roadside bomb in Eastern Baghdad at the Pentagon a us military official con firmed there were signs the Mahdi army was splintering some were breaking away to at tempt a More conciliatory approach to the americans and the iraqi government others moving in a More extremist direction the offi Cial said however the official who was not authorized to be quoted by name on the topic was not aware of direct iranian recruitment and financing of Mahdi army members the outlines of the fracture inside the Mahdi army were confirmed by senior iraqi government officials with Access to Intelli gence reports prepared for prime minister Nouri Almalik the information indicates a disintegrating organization yet a potentially even More dangerous foe they revealed on condition that their names not be used