U.S. President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki will consider increasing the number of U.S. and Iraqi soldiers in Baghdad as a solution to the ever-growing violence and unrest in the Iraqi capital, the White House announced Tuesday. With the two leaders set to meet on Tuesday, White House spokesman Tony Snow said Bush and Maliki will consider new approaches to bringing Baghdad and its surrounding areas under some form of government control. “One of the first challenges, obviously, is to go ahead and find an effective way to secure Baghdad,” Snow said. Snow also said Bush and Maliki are expected to discuss Israel's attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which the Iraqi Prime Minister has strongly condemned.
