Pentagon holds back 3,500 troops due for Iraq duty

WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) A Germany-based Army brigade of about 3,500 soldiers will not begin its deployment into Iraq this month as scheduled, the Pentagon said today, in a move coming as officials ponder a broader cut in the US force.

The unit involved is the 2nd brigade of the Army's 1st Infantry Division, the Pentagon said. The United States currently has about 133,000 troops in Iraq.

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