WASHINGTON, march 3: The top US commander in Iraq said on Friday he does not intend to end the military’s practice of paying to place favourable stories in the Iraqi press.

Gen George Casey said an investigation found that the military had acted ‘within our authorities and responsibilities’ in planting paid-for stories in the press through a contractor.

Asked if he planned to stop the practice, Casey said, “I have not done that. And, right now, based on the results of the investigation, I do not intend to, in the near term.”

“However, we will continue to evaluate this over time as the situation on the ground here evolves,” he said.

The Lincoln Group, a Washington-based contractor, paid Iraqi newspapers to run hundreds of stories without disclosing that they were prepared by military ‘information operations’ troops.

The army also was reported to have paid Iraqi journalists through a Baghdad press group for positive stories about the US military.

The disclosure of the secret propaganda operation touched a heated debate here over whether the military should be paying to plant stories when US policy is to promote a free press in Iraq.

Rear Admiral Scott Van Buskirk’s investigation, which is now being wrapped up, will make some procedural recommendations, but concluded the military acted properly, Casey said.

It comes as the US Special Forces Command is embarking on a separate 300 million dollar campaign to influence foreign public opinion, and the Pentagon is rethinking the way it communicates to the public.—AFP