US troop delay no draw-down

2006-05-07 18:04

Washington - The Pentagon has delayed the deployment of an United States army combat brigade to Iraq, but this was not necessarily a sign of a pending draw-down of troops from the country, said a US government official on Saturday.

The German-based US army's 2nd brigade, 1st infantry division, which included 3 500 soldiers, had been due to go to Iraq this month.

The US official said it was being "held in place" for now.

The decision, however, should not be linked to speculation about a troop draw-down, he said.

A Pentagon spokesperson declined comment, saying the US military had not yet made public any decisions regarding that specific combat brigade, or the size of the American force in Iraq.

Last week, US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he expects recommendations from US commanders in Iraq on possible troop cuts sometime in the coming weeks.

Rumsfeld said he expected to reduce the 133 000-strong American force in Iraq, but gave no specific targets or dates.

The US force in the country has shrunk by about 30 000 troops since December.

- Reuters