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HADITHAH, Iraq -- A Marine regiment that took heavy casualties last week in western Iraq -- including 19 killed from a Reserve unit headquartered in Ohio -- had repeatedly asked for about 1,000 more troops. Those requests were not granted.

Regimental Combat Team 2 began asking for additional troops to police its volatile 24,000-square-mile territory before most of its Marines deployed in February, said operations officer Lt. Col. Christopher Starling, 39, of Jacksonville, N.C.

Starling said the unit could "optimally" use one more battalion, about 1,000 troops, to take some of the pressure off the Reserve unit, which is spearheading an offensive in the region. "With a fourth battalion, I wouldn't have to play pick-up ball," Starling said....

The difficulty in pacifying Iraq's desolate western region shows the challenges of fighting an insurgency in which fighters who have been pushed out of one town or city regroup elsewhere.

Additional forces might allow U.S. and Iraqi government forces to maintain security after chasing insurgents out of their hide-outs. "Presence leads to security, which leads to stability," Starling said....

--USA Today