35,000 warned of call-up

The Pentagon on Tuesday alerted more than 35,000 Army soldiers that they could be sent to Iraq this fall.

The deployment orders signed by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates would allow commanders to maintain the buildup of troops through the end of the year if needed. President Bush has ordered nearly 30,000 additional troops to Iraq to quell a rise in violence.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the orders do not mean the military has decided to maintain the increased force levels through December. The Pentagon “has been very clear that a decision about the duration of the surge will depend on conditions on the ground,” he said.

The announcement comes as Bush is under increasing pressure to pull troops out of Iraq. Bush last week vetoed legislation that would have funded the war while requiring troops to start coming home this fall. According to a CNN-Opinion Research Corp. poll released Tuesday, just over half of Americans disapproved of the veto.