The U.S. military presence in Iraq has declined by more
than 20,000 troops over the last month.
Officials said the number of U.S. troops in Iraq has decreased to around
138,000, Middle East Newsline reported. This was the level deployed in Iraq in the summer of 2005.
"We have come back down to the troop level that we were at back in the
summer of '05," Defense Department spokesman Lt. Col. Barry Venable said.
In October 2005, U.S. troop levels in Iraq rose to 160,000. The increase
was meant to provide additional security for the Oct. 15 constitutional
referendum and the Dec. 15 parliamentary elections.
Venable said the extra troops have left Iraq. He said U.S. force levels
in Iraq could fluctuate on a daily basis.
"They have cycled out and we're now back down to what was the former
baseline level," Venable said.
Officials said the Pentagon baseline of 138,000 troops in Iraq would be
discarded. They said the Pentagon would seek to further reduce the U.S.
troop presence in Iraq in accordance with the level of insurgency as well as
the capability of Iraqi forces. They said the troop level would be
determined by Gen. George Casey, commander of U.S. troops in Iraq.
"That paradigm no longer holds true," Venable said. "Because from this
point forward what you will see is a continuous, ongoing assessment of
conditions in Iraq and that will drive General Casey's recommendations for
the number of troops he needs."
Officials said there could be a temporary increase in the U.S. troop
presence in Iraq if the country is hurled into new violence. But they said
this would be an extreme case.
Instead, U.S. troops in Iraq would increasingly serve in a mentoring and
training role for the Iraqi military and police. Officials said that in 2006
the United States would accelerate the pace of security handover to the
Baghdad government as well as the deployment of Iraqi troops in the
operational lead.
Officials have reported gains against the Al Qaida network in Iraq
during 2005. They said the network has lost scores of leaders as a result of
Iraqi and U.S. operations.
Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, said
111 leaders of Al Qaida's network in Iraq have either been killed or
captured over the last year. He said the network, led by Abu Mussib Al
Zarqawi, has also come under attack from other Sunni insurgents,
particularly in the Anbar capital of Ramadi.
"The Sunni rejectionists, if you will, are conducting planned attacks
against Zarqawi and his network," Lynch said. "Recently we've seen
significant operations where the local insurgency has turned on the Zarqawi
network and forced them out of Ramadi. Zaqawi's on the ropes."
U.S. Central Command chief Gen. John Abizaid said the United States
would seek to stabilize Iraq over the next few months by placing Sunnis in
the government and military. Abizaid said he did not envision a rapid U.S.
withdrawal from Iraq.
"I can say without any hesitation that in 2006 it's our intention to
hand over the bulk of the counterinsurgency missions to the Iraqis," Abizaid
said. "If good governance comes along, economic prospects improve, and the
security forces continue to develop along the direction we're seeing
already, we're confident our troops levels can be substantially less."
