General says US troops' job in Iraq won't end soon
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WASHINGTON -- Conditions in Iraq will not improve sufficiently by September to justify a drawdown of US military forces, the top American commander in Iraq said yesterday.
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The outgoing secretary of defense said American troops should stay in Iraq until the insurgents were defeated.
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The United States will maintain its   enlarged force in Iraq at current levels until at least mid   -2007, the top U.S. general in the Middle East said on Tuesday,   as Washington scrambles to prevent all-out sectarian war.
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The top U.S. commander in Iraq will recommend to President Bush that current U.S. troop levels be maintained in Iraq through next spring, according to U.S. military officials.
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Adm. William J. Fallon, expected to be confirmed as the new top U.S. commander in the Middle East, said today that "time is running out" for Iraq's government to demonstrate its commitment to reducing violence in the country, without which Fallon said U.S. military operations will not succeed.
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U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan are likely to remain steady, at about 21,000, at least until next February, the top U.S. general there said Thursday, echoing earlier comments about forces in Iraq.
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The U.S. Army is now planning to  keep at least 120,000 troops in Iraq for the next two years to  train and fight with Iraqi forces against insurgents, a senior  Army general said on Monday.
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The Army's top general warned on Thursday that his force "will break" without thousands more active duty troops and greater use of the reserves. He issued the warning as President Bush considers new strategies for Iraq.
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Iraq's security forces will not be able to take over from US troops within the next 18 months, a new report finds.
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U.S. military commanders said Friday the troop buildup in Iraq must be maintained until at least next summer and they may need as long as two years to ensure parts of the country are stable.
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The United States will probably have more troops in Iraq this summer than it did before pouring in forces last year -- even after a planned drawdown, a U.S. general said on Friday.
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British troops could be sent to help US forces anywhere inside Iraq and may stay in the country beyond the end of US-led coalition forces' mandate in 2005, Britain's army commander said.
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As sectarian violence continues, the US military cautions that results of its Baghdad troop 'surge' will take time.
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Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld indicated on Saturday that US commanders in Iraq may yet decide they need more US troops to ensure a viable national election in January.
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The top U.S. general in Iraq on Monday recommended cutting American troops by about 30,000 by next summer, ending the so-called surge of forces but not fundamentally changing strategy in the unpopular war.
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U.S. President George W. Bush and his generals appealed on Friday for more time to allow his troop increase to work in Iraq, but a key Senate ally said September was still pivotal for evaluating the strategy.
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U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan are likely to remain steady, at about 21,000, at least until next February, the top U.S. general for the mission there said Thursday.