Rumsfeld announces troop reductions in Iraq

BAGHDAD (AFP) - US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on a visit to Baghdad that the United States will withdraw some of its combat forces from Iraq early next year. Rumsfeld’s announcement means the number of US troops will drop back under the level of 138,000 for the first time since April 2004.

Commander of US forces in Iraq, General George Casey said that the president and Rumsfeld had accepted his recommendation not to deploy two brigades scheduled for deployment next year.

“The brigades run about 3,500 plus or minus change, so it is about 7,000 of the total troops we are talking about here. You are not going to see it in the numbers really until March,” he told reporters.

The defense secretary added that troop levels would vary as their mission changed and could even still go up.

“The size and composition of US forces will continue to fluctuate as commanders continue to shift focus from combat to supporting and training the Iraqi security forces.

“This will include increases in the number of US forces involved in transition teams, intelligence support and logistics, to assist the Iraqi security forces in continuing to assume increasing responsibility for the security of the country,” he said.

Rumsfeld, who arrived in the country from Afghanistan on Thursday, held talks with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari Friday after a brief morning side trip to neighboring Jordan to inspect a training facility for Iraqi security forces.

The secretary had earlier announced that the US reduction followed “the recognition of progress in the training of Iraqi forces”.

Washington had already announced the withdrawal of reinforcements sent to Iraq to ensure that the October 15 referendum on the constitution and the December 15 general elections went off smoothly.

“The effect of these adjustments will reduce forces in Iraq by the spring 2006 below the current level of 160,000 during the elections period and below the 138,000 baseline that existed prior to the most recent elections,” Rumsfeld said.

The defense secretary also alluded to further reductions during the course of the year.

“We anticipate future coalition force-level discussions at some point in 2006, after the new Iraqi government is in place and is prepared to discuss the future,” he added.

A new government is expected to be installed early next year in the wake of the December 15 general election.

AFP