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Bush orders modest Iraq troop cut

WASHINGTON: U.S. President George W. Bush said on Tuesday he planned to withdraw about 8,000 U.S. troops from Iraq by next February and send some 4,500 troops to Afghanistan next January.

In a speech at the National Defense University, Mr. Bush said improving conditions in Iraq would allow a “quiet surge” of American troops to Afghanistan, where there had been a resurgence of the Taliban and a growth in violence.

The troop cut — smaller than many had expected due to a desire not to jeopardise recent security gains made in Iraq — was probably his final major decision on the Iraq war. Mr. Bush said he was making the move based on a recommendation from top military officers, including David Petraeus, highest-ranking U.S. military officer in Baghdad.

“Petraeus and the Joint Chiefs of Staff have recommended that we move forward with additional force reductions”.

“Over the next several months, we will bring home about 3,400 combat support forces — including aviation personnel, explosive ordnance teams, combat and construction engineers, military police, and logistical support forces. By November, we will bring home a Marine battalion that is now serving in Anbar province. And in February of 2009, another Army combat brigade will come home,” he said. — Xinhua

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