WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States would make only modest cuts in US force levels in Iraq early next year under a plan presented to President George W. Bush that calls for a shift in forces to Afghanistan, US defense officials said.
A senior defense official confirmed a New York Times report that the plan would shrink the number of US combat brigades in Iraq from to 14 from 15 and reduce the overall size of the force by some 8,000 troops by March.
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 emphasized the need to reinforce US and NATO troops in Afghanistan where conditions have deteriorated in the face of a resurgence by the Taliban.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Mullen presented their recommendations to Bush on Wednesday and also shared the views of General David Petraeus, the US commander in Iraq, Lieutenant General Martin Dempsey, the Central Command chief, and the Joint Chiefs.
"Without getting into what specifically they advised the president, I can tell you that all these leaders are fundamentally in agreement on how we should proceed in Iraq," Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement late Thursday.
"As in the past, this was a collaborative process and they came to agreement after serious and lengthy discussions about the dramatic security gains in Iraq, the threats that still exist there and the uncertainties that remain," he said.
"Based on all that, they collectively decided on what they believe to be the best approach going forward. Of course, now it is up to the commander-in-chief to decide the way ahead," he said.
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