WASHINGTON - The United States is unlikely to begin reducing its 135,000 troops in Iraq in the coming months, in the face of attacks by a deadly insurgency there, a senior US military commander said on Tuesday. âAt this point, I would not be prepared to recommend a draw-down prior to the election, certainly not any significant numbers,â Army Lt. Gen. John Vines, commander of coalition forces in Iraq, told Pentagon reporters in a teleconference from Iraq.
But Vines said significant reductions could begin early next year following a referendum on a planned constitution this October and a subsequent national election on a new Iraqi government in December. Vines warned that polls in the United States showing that most Americans oppose the US presence in Iraq showed that âthey donât have a good perception of what is at stake here.â |