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Troop cuts likely: General

WASHINGTON: The U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, on Thursday held out the surprise prospect of further troop withdrawals in the autumn, only one month after he recommended that President George Bush halt pull-outs after the summer.

Congressional members welcomed the U-turn, disclosed at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, whose Chairman, the Democratic Senator Carl Levin, called Gen. Petraeus’ announcement “good news to most of us.” Gen. Petraeus told the committee: “My sense is I will be able to make a recommendation at that time for further reductions.” He added he did not want to imply that that would mean pulling out a particular brigade or unit.

There are 1,54,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. An extra 30,000 troops sent last year to quell violence are due to leave by July. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008

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