WASHINGTON (AFX) - The US plans to reduce its troop levels in Iraq to 80,000 soldiers by the middle of next year and to a maximum of 60,000 by the end of 2006, Newsweek magazine reported.
The Defence Department has drawn up a force reduction plan, the magazine said quoting two officials who took part in the work.
There are currently about 140,000 American troops in Iraq.
The plan would tie in with a force reduction laid out in a British Defence Ministry memo leaked to media last month. It said Washington hoped to hand over control of security to Iraqi forces in 14 of 18 Iraqi provinces by early 2006, allowing it to slash overall US-led troop levels to 66,000 from 176,000.
General George Casey, the commander of US forces in Iraq, said last week that the US hopes to heavily reduce its troop numbers in 2006 if Iraq can keep to the timeline set out in the interim constitution, which calls for elections for a permanent government by Dec 15, 2005.
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The Defence Department has drawn up a force reduction plan, the magazine said quoting two officials who took part in the work.
There are currently about 140,000 American troops in Iraq.
The plan would tie in with a force reduction laid out in a British Defence Ministry memo leaked to media last month. It said Washington hoped to hand over control of security to Iraqi forces in 14 of 18 Iraqi provinces by early 2006, allowing it to slash overall US-led troop levels to 66,000 from 176,000.
General George Casey, the commander of US forces in Iraq, said last week that the US hopes to heavily reduce its troop numbers in 2006 if Iraq can keep to the timeline set out in the interim constitution, which calls for elections for a permanent government by Dec 15, 2005.
vog/tw/sg/bam
COPYRIGHT
Copyright AFX News Limited 2005. All rights reserved.
The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News.
AFX News and the AFX Financial News logo are registered trademarks of AFX News Limited
For more information and to contact AFX: www.afxnews.com and www.afxpress.com
© 2005 AFX News
