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This story is from November 24, 2005
US may cut troops after Iraq polls
Officials said that no decisions had been made and plans for troop cuts could be abandoned if the insurgency strengthened.
WASHINGTON: The Pentagon is planning to make modest troop reductions after next month's elections in Iraq and, if security conditions improve, could begin reductions next summer that would drop the American force level below 100,000 by late next year, defence department officials said on Wednesday.
Troop reductions of this magnitude have been discussed by military commanders in the past, and it is not clear to what extent the most recent statements by various officials reflect the pressure on the Bush administration from Congress and even some Iraqi leaders to begin laying out withdrawal options.
Officials said that no decisions had been made and that plans for troop cuts could be abandoned if the insurgency strengthened or Iraqi security forces did not progress as quickly as their US trainers hoped.
"There is planning that is looking at, if the conditions are such that there could be reduction of the US presence, how we could do that," said a Pentagon spokesman, Bryan Whitman.
But they have talked about the possibility of reducing the numbers of troops. "I suspect that American forces are not going to be needed in the numbers that they are for that much longer," secretary of state Condoleezza Rice said in an interview on Tuesday.
Whitman said that "the current thinking" is that the number of American troops, which is now over 150,000, would fall to around 138,000, where it was before a buildup to help provide security for the referendum on the constitution in October and the coming elections on December 15 to choose a new government.
Officials have repeatedly emphasised that any decisions on troop reductions depend on whether security conditions worsen or whether Iraq's new government demands quicker reductions.
For at least the past year and a half officials have held out the prospect, but those reductions have not occurred.
NYT News Service
Troop reductions of this magnitude have been discussed by military commanders in the past, and it is not clear to what extent the most recent statements by various officials reflect the pressure on the Bush administration from Congress and even some Iraqi leaders to begin laying out withdrawal options.
Officials said that no decisions had been made and that plans for troop cuts could be abandoned if the insurgency strengthened or Iraqi security forces did not progress as quickly as their US trainers hoped.
"There is planning that is looking at, if the conditions are such that there could be reduction of the US presence, how we could do that," said a Pentagon spokesman, Bryan Whitman.
"We are also looking at contingency planning where you need to increase troop strength in Iraq." In recent days, US president George Bush and his top advisers have all rejected calls to set a timetable for withdrawal, saying that to do so would embolden the insurgents.
But they have talked about the possibility of reducing the numbers of troops. "I suspect that American forces are not going to be needed in the numbers that they are for that much longer," secretary of state Condoleezza Rice said in an interview on Tuesday.
Whitman said that "the current thinking" is that the number of American troops, which is now over 150,000, would fall to around 138,000, where it was before a buildup to help provide security for the referendum on the constitution in October and the coming elections on December 15 to choose a new government.
Officials have repeatedly emphasised that any decisions on troop reductions depend on whether security conditions worsen or whether Iraq's new government demands quicker reductions.
For at least the past year and a half officials have held out the prospect, but those reductions have not occurred.
NYT News Service
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