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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America's outgoing No. 2 commander in Iraq said Tuesday that curbing unemployment and improving services would help reduce the violence in the country, warning that military muscle cannot win the war alone.
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U.S. troop levels in Iraq will likely remain at the current number -- more than 140,000 -- through next spring, the senior U.S. commander in the Middle East said today.
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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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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 senior U.S. military commander said yesterday that Iraq's army must expand its rolls by at least 20,000 more soldiers than Washington had  anticipated, to help free U.S. troops from conducting daily patrols, checkpoints and other critical yet dangerous missions.
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The U.S. military commander in Iraq said on Thursday he currently saw no immediate need to request more U.S. troops other those already announced.
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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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The U.S. military commander in Iraq said on Thursday he currently saw no immediate need to request more U.S. troops other than those already announced, but they would need to stay "well beyond the summer".
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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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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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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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FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. -- When Lieutenant General David Petraeus was reassigned last year from a top command in Iraq to this sprawling Army complex in the heartland where new leaders are trained, many in the military saw it as a move to sideline a potential critic from Pentagon decision-making.
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Facing another decision about U.S. troop levels in Iraq by spring, President Bush said Saturday it's "fine with me" if generals recommend no more reductions than those already planned to take the force posture down to about 130,000.
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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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President to cut numbers to pre-surge level after Petraeus admits end is not in sight.
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A pause in the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq after the current reduction is completed in July "makes sense," Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters in Baghdad today. Gates made his comments after meeting in Iraq with the top U.S. commander, Gen. David Petraeus.