By Andrew Gray
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top U.S. defence officials haverecommended that President George W. Bush withdraw one combatbrigade from Iraq but not until early next year, Pentagonsources said on Thursday.
A U.S. Army combat brigade has 3,000 to 5,000 troops. TheUnited States now has 15 combat brigades in Iraq as well asmany other units, making a total of more than 140,000 troops.
Any cut in Iraq would allow the United States to increaseforces in Afghanistan, where commanders have called for moretroops to combat rising violence by Islamist militants from alQaeda and the Taliban. The United States has some 33,000 troopsin Afghanistan.
A Pentagon spokesman said he could not discuss details ofthe recommendations and administration officials cautioned thatBush had not yet approved any course of action.
"The president is now considering his options," White Housespokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters.
While violence in Iraq has dropped dramatically in the pastyear, the proposed cutback is smaller than some analysts hadpredicted, reflecting the desire of Army Gen. David Petraeus,the top commander in Iraq, not to jeopardize security gains.
Three Pentagon sources told Reuters that Petraeus hadagreed to shift from 15 brigades to 14. Two sources said thechange would not take place until early next year.
One source said the recommendation also included other,smaller units but did not elaborate.
Bush heard the Pentagon's recommendations on Wednesday in avideoconference with Defence Secretary Robert Gates and Adm.Mike Mullen, the chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefsof Staff, officials said.
"Secretary Gates and Chairman Mullen presented PresidentBush with their recommendations on how many additional forcescould be safely taken out and how soon," Pentagon presssecretary Geoff Morrell said.
He said Gates and Mullen also presented the views ofPetraeus and Army Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, acting head of theU.S. military headquarters for operations in the Middle East,and all were "fundamentally in agreement."
ELECTION ISSUE
Petraeus asked for a freeze in troop cuts this summer totake stock after the withdrawal of five extra combat brigadesdeployed in a 2007 "surge" to quell rampant sectarian violence.
But decisions on any large-scale withdrawal from Iraq willlikely fall to Bush's successor, either Republican John McCainor Democrat Barack Obama.
Still, Bush's final decision on troop withdrawals is sureto feature in the campaign for the November 4 presidentialelection.
The Iraq war has become deeply unpopular among Americans,although it has faded somewhat as an election issue with thedecline in violence and a rise in economic troubles at home.
Democrats want a more rapid withdrawal from Iraq. Obama haspromised to pull out combat troops within 16 months if he movesinto the White House in January.
McCain opposes any set timeline and broadly backs the Bushadministration's policy of withdrawing troops based oncommanders' recommendations and conditions on the ground.
Perino suggested news on future troop levels could comewhen Gates and Mullen testify before Congress next week.
"I would expect that they would talk about troop levels inIraq there," she told reporters.
Gates and Mullen are due to appear before the House ofRepresentatives Armed Services Committee next Wednesday todiscuss security and stability in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
(Additional reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky; Editing by JohnO'Callaghan)
