Petraeus says U.S. troop levels can be cut
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The number of U.S. troops in Iraq could fall to about 130,000 by next summer, the total before this year's build-up, but it is too early to say when it may go lower, the top U.S. general in Iraq said on Monday.
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The top U.S. commander in Iraq told Congress today that the military objectives of the Bush administration's troop increase strategy in Iraq "are in large measure being met," and he forecast a reduction of U.S. forces "to pre-surge levels" without jeopardizing gains in the months ahead.
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Defense secretary endorses the idea of pausing the drawdown of U.S. forces from Iraq this summer.
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President George W. Bush on Thursday ordered gradual troop reductions in Iraq but defied calls for a dramatic change of course, telling war-weary Americans the U.S. military role there will stretch beyond his presidency.
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AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq  - President George W. Bush raised the prospect of troop cuts in Iraq after meeting top commanders at a desert air base on Monday but said any reduction must be made from a position of strength.
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The United States may be able to reduce its troop levels in Iraq after the January elections if security improves and Iraqi government
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'Surge' may be reversed by next March, says America's leading military commander in Iraq.
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By July, the number of U.S. troops in Iraq should be down to about 130,000, according to the U.S. commander in Baghdad, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus -- about the same number as before President Bush sent additional combat forces there last spring.
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AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq - The United States may be able to reduce its troop levels in Iraq after the January elections if security is strengthened and Iraqi government forces continue to expand and improve, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Sunday...
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A US commander in Iraq warns against early troop withdrawals, despite growing calls for a pullout.
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The U.S. commander for northern Iraq has asked for more troops to clamp down on insurgent attacks and sectarian violence in the volatile province of Diyala, he said on Friday.
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The U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, has told President George W. Bush he wants to maintain heightened troop levels in Iraq well into next year but could accept the pullback of about 4,000 troops beginning in January, The New York Times reported on Thursday.
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The outgoing commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad warned on Monday against pulling American troops from Iraq too quickly, saying Iraqi security forces are not ready to assume responsibility.
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In a move that could portend a strategy change, the commander of U.S. forces in northern Iraq said Sunday he has proposed reducing his troop levels and shifting next year to missions focused less on direct combat.
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In a report considered crucial to U.S. strategy in the highly unpopular war in Iraq, the top U.S. commander there is expected to tell Congress on Monday that U.S. troop levels should not be cut deeply.
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Tours of duty for U.S. soldiers in Iraq may be cut from 15 months to 12 if current improvements in security hold up, the U.S. commander in Iraq said Tuesday.
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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...