Rumsfeld: Troop Reductions Not Likely Until Iraqis Stronger
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There likely won&#39;t be a reduction in US troop strength in Iraq until after the country&#39;s national elections in January, Defense Secretary Donald
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The top US general in Iraq hints at troop reductions within six months, days ahead of his key report to Congress.
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Stabilizing Iraq will be a lengthy process that won't end when violence in that country  -  and U.S. troop strength  -  are reduced, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said
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Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates backed away slightly yesterday from his Friday statement that U.S. troop levels in Iraq could go as low as 100,000 by the end of next year, and he signaled that the Bush administration would go into a wait-and-see mode on Iraq for another six months.
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US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said yesterday the number of troops in Iraq could be cut after the January elections in that country.
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The No. 2 U.S. commander in Iraq said Tuesday that the next three to four months will be crucial in determining whether the United States can start to withdraw troops from Iraq without sacrificing security gains since the troop buildup began early this year.
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If the U.S. troop buildup in Iraq is reversed before the summer of 2008, the military will risk giving up the security gains it has achieved at a cost of hundreds of American lives over the past six months, the commander of U.S. forces south of Baghdad said Friday.
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US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld didn&#39;t bring much good news to a group of Marines in Iraq. He warned Sunday during a town-hall meeting in at an airbase in the country&#39;s west that violence may well
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Iraqi forces will not be ready to assume full responsibility for their nation's security for years, and the U.S. military should be cautious in planning to reduce its 157,000-strong force in Iraq given past setbacks, the American general in charge of the teams that advise Iraqi forces warned...
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Kuwait City -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld expressed hope Monday, but did not explicitly predict, that American troops would be out of Iraq by the end of President Bush&#39;s second term.
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The risk in Iraq is not of civil war but that the country will end up under the control of extremists who &quot;run around chopping off people&#39;s heads,&quot; Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in remarks broadcast on Saturday.
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The commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, said on Monday that U.S. troop levels in the country would decline further after a drawdown next summer but it was too soon to say how quickly.
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One day after President Bush announced a limited drawdown of U.S. troops from Iraq by next summer, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday that it might be possible to reduce U.S. forces there further over the course of next year, down to approximately 100,000 troops by the end of 2008.
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The top American general in Iraq said   on Wednesday he foresaw Iraqi forces assuming control of the   country's security within 12 to 18 months with "very little"   support from U.S.-led forces.
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Gen. David H. Petraeusâs recommendations will likely lead to an earlier-than-expected start to troop reductions in Iraq, while deferring decisions on a wider withdrawal.
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AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said violence in Iraq will probably get worse before next year&#39;s election, but he also brought a glimmer of hope to US troops.
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WASHINGTON -- The United States may be able to reduce its combat forces in Iraq by next spring if Iraq's own security forces continue to grow and improve, a senior American commander said yesterday.