Modest US force cuts proposed for Iraq

Top US defence officials have recommended US President George W. Bush order only a modest US troop withdrawal from Iraq next year, with some of the forces shifted to Afghanistan, officials told AFP Friday.
The White House said Bush was expected to announce a decision next week on the recommendations, which were presented to the president on Wednesday by top Pentagon officials.
A senior defence official said the plan would shrink the number of US combat brigades in Iraq to 14 from 15 and reduce the overall size of the force by some 8,000 troops by March.
"There will be well over 7,500 personnel reduced, with the reductions taking place as units complete their missions between now and early next year, with the major unit (a brigade combat team ) leaving without replacement in mid-January," a senior US military official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
US commanders in Iraq have urged caution in reducing the size of the 146,000-strong force, worried that conditions remain fragile despite dramatic gains in security.
But Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has emphasised the need to reinforce US and Nato troops in Afghanistan where conditions have deteriorated in the face of a resurgence by the Taliban.
A top US commander in Afghanistan said Friday he needs more troops and other resources for a winter offensive against the insurgents, who appear to be preparing to winter in Afghanistan in significant numbers for the first time, rather than sheltering in neighbouring Pakistan.
"I do believe that the level of significant activities, maybe violence, will be higher than any previous winter since 2002," said Major General Jeffrey Schloesser in a video teleconference from Afghanistan.