Pentagon to reduce troops? Senate rejects withdrawal. Repubs are fools

Pentagon weighs modest troop reduction in Iraq

By Will Dunham | June 22, 2006

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pentagon leaders are considering reducing the U.S. force in Iraq by a few thousand troops in the coming months, defense officials said on Thursday, as the U.S. Senate rejected setting a timetable for withdrawal.

Army Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, was in Washington this week for meetings with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld about future force levels and other issues.

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Casey's recommendations to Rumsfeld on future U.S. troop levels have been long anticipated. Defense officials previously said the Pentagon had considered dropping to about 100,000 this year but any cuts depended on circumstances in Iraq.

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Casey last year forecast a "fairly substantial" reduction in U.S. troops this spring and summer if Iraq's political process goes well and progress is made in developing Iraqi government security forces. Now it appears any such reduction may be postponed until autumn.

Rumsfeld and Casey are due to hold a news conference at the Pentagon later on Thursday.

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http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/06/22/pentagon_weighs_modest_troop_reduction_in_iraq