Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq

    WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Pentagon has begun equipping troops in Iraq with the latest Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles that will give soldiers more protection, The Stars and Strips reported Monday.

    However, although the Pentagon had planned to have 7,000 of the vehicles in use in Iraq by summer 2008, that number has been downgraded by military officials.

    The head of the Department of Defense MRAP task force originally said 3,500 MRAPs would be in Iraq this year, but he later scaled that back to 1,500, saying his first estimate was made "on the fly."

    The first batch of the vehicles is being sent to units near Baghdad.

    Soldiers of these units will undergo a weeklong course in driving, operating and maintaining the new vehicles.

    Two versions of the MRAPs are being fielded: one that holds six soldiers and one that holds 10.

    The vehicles have V-shaped hulls to deflect blasts from underneath and have proved to withstand roadside bombs better than up-armored Humvees.

    The Pentagon has authorized 15,274 MRAPs for all branches of the service, with 10,000 for the Army, 3,700 for the Marine Corps,697 for the Air Force, 544 for the Navy and 333 for Special Operations Command.