WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush hailed a new "degree of durability" in security gains in Iraq Thursday, saying it should permit him to announce further U.S. troop reductions later this year. With the war in its sixth year and violence substantially decreased in recent weeks, Bush gave a brief update on the war that focused on several fronts of progress.
He said that violence is at its lowest ebb since the spring of 2004, that forces are in their third consecutive month with lower violence levels holding steady, and that Iraqi forces are becoming increasingly capable of both fighting and securing the country. "The progress is still reversible," Bush acknowledged. But he added, "There now appears to be a degree of durability in gains."
Looking ahead to the next recommendation on troop levels from U.S. generals in Iraq, Bush suggested its reasonable to expect "further reductions in our combat forces, as conditions permit." |