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Print view Rumsfeld hints at slight troop drawdown in Iraq By Robert Burns The Associated Press BAGHDAD, Iraq Defense Secretary Donald H Rumsfeld hinted today that th e US military will soon begin reducing its troop strength in Iraq belo w 138,000, the level it has considered its core force in the country for most of this year. On an unannounced holiday visit to the Iraqi capital, Rumsfeld said the r eduction would be achieved by canceling the scheduled deployment of two Army brigades. The US temporarily built up its forces in Iraq to about 160,000 to prov ide extra security during the Oct. Other officials have said small parts of each briga de were likely to go anyway. Asked whether he'd made the decision to hold back those two brigades, Rum sfeld made a distinction between his decisions as defense secretary and final announcements by the US government. "Until it's announced, the government's decision hasn't been announced. George Casey pointedly declined to take any ques tions at a planned question-and-answer session with reporters at US mi litary headquarters in Baghdad. When a reporter pressed Casey on canceling the deployments and asked if h e would explain the military rationale, Casey replied, "Not until it's b een announced if it's announced." Two weeks ago, two defense officials told The Associated Press that the P entagon tentatively planned to cancel the scheduled deployment to Iraq o f the 1st Infantry Division's 1st Brigade and instead send small teams f rom that unit to Iraq to train security forces. They also said the 1st Armored Division's 2nd Brigade would not go to Ira q, as planned. Instead, up to two-thirds of that brigade would return to Germany, where they are usually based, and the rest would remain in Kuw ait. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the plans wer e not final. advertising Rumsfeld also said he hoped that the Iraqis who will be putting together a full-term national government in coming weeks will take into account t he risk of losing international support if they stumble. "It's a big, big, enormous thing for them to try to accomplish in a relat ively short period of time," he said, referring to the job of selecting a president, a prime minister and cabinet ministries. "We also can't ignore the fact that the world the rest of the world h as a vote," he said, referring figuratively to other countries' choices about the extent of their future support for Iraq. "The degree of suppor t will be, to some extent, a function of the critically important decisi ons they (the Iraqis) make during this period." Rumsfeld said he hopes the government leaders who emerge are "people who are going to pull that country together toward the center and not pull i t apart people who are competent and capable of leading a government, a wartime government." It was the second such surprise visit in less than a week. Earlier, Rumsfeld said that while the administration is planning troop re ductions in Afghanistan, removing forces too quickly would impede the lo ng-term hunt for terrorists. "If we were to withdraw from Afghanistan precipitously, or from Iraq, the terrorists would attack us first somewhere else and then they would att ack us at home, let there be no doubt," Rumsfeld said at Bagram Air Base . In a holiday season pep talk, Rumsfeld spoke to several hundred soldiers in a heated tent at Bagram that serves as the main airfield for US for ces in Afghanistan. "The momentous changes here could not have happened without your service, " he said.
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