Iraq troop-cut option confirmed
2006-06-26 19:32
Washington - The White House confirmed
on Monday that the top US military commander in Iraq has
drafted a plan for US troop cuts there, but said the plan was
just one option.
President George W Bush said he had met with General George
Casey, but reiterated that any decision on troop reductions
would be based on the situation on the ground in Iraq, where a
violent insurgency persists.
"But in terms of our troop presence there, that decision
will be made by General (George) Casey as well as the sovereign
government of Iraq based upon conditions on the ground," Bush
said.
The New York Times reported on Saturday that Casey had
drafted a plan that would first reduce US troops in Iraq in
September and cut the number of combat brigades to five or six
from the current level of 14 by the end of 2007.
There are currently nearly 130 000 US troops in Iraq.
Democratic critics of the president reacted angrily, saying
over the weekend that the Casey plan appeared similar to their
calls for the administration to draw up a timetable for troop
withdrawal.
Yet when they urged this they were accused of
wanting to "cut and run" by Republicans.
Bush said any recommendation by Casey "will be aimed toward
achieving victory".
He defined victory as a free government
able to sustain itself, defend itself, be an ally of the United
States in fighting terrorism, and able to fight al-Qaeda.