U.S. could cut Iraq troops by 20,000-30,000-NY Times
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The top U.S. Middle East commander has
outlined a plan that would reduce U.S. forces in Iraq by some
20,000 to 30,000 by next spring, The New York Times reported in
Sunday editions.
Citing three senior military officers and Defense
Department officials, The Times said that the assessment by
Gen. John Abizaid, the head of the military’s Central Command,
was contained in a classified briefing given to senior Pentagon
officials last month.
The plan was in line with Gen. George Casey’s remarks in a
briefing late last month with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
that Washington hoped to reduce U.S. forces in Iraq sharply
within the next year.
“I do believe that if the political process continues to go
positively, if the developments with the (Iraqi) security
forces continue to go as it is going, I do believe we will
still be able to make fairly substantial reductions after these
elections — in the spring and summer of next year,” Casey, the
U.S. commander in Iraq, told Rumsfeld on July 27.
However, Abizaid added the caveat in his assessment that it
was possible that the Pentagon might have to keep the current
levels of some 138,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq through 2006 if
security and political trends do not favor a withdrawal, The
Times said.
President Bush has consistently refused to set a date for
withdrawal from Iraq, reiterating on Wednesday that the
timetable, “depends on our ability to train the Iraqis, to get
the Iraqis ready to fight.”
The number of troops is expect to increase temporarily in
December to about 160,000 troops, achieved through overlapping
the normal rotation of incoming forces and those who have
finished their tours, to provide security for elections to a
new National Assembly, scheduled for Dec. 15, The Times said.
“General Abizaid has consistently understood that if
conditions on the ground warrant it, a smaller coalition
footprint could bolster self-government in Iraq,” said Lawrence
Di Rita, the chief Pentagon spokesman.