US military says speeding up training Iraqi forces

BAGHDAD, Dec 13 (Reuters) The US military in Iraq said today it was speeding up the training of Iraqi forces and that some US combat troops were now acting as trainers.

''We are accelerating our use of military transition teams, police transition teams and border transition teams,'' Major General William Caldwell, spokesman for the US military in Iraq, told reporters in Baghdad.

Caldwell said two US regional commanders had reduced the number of US combat troops and were now working on training Iraqi forces.

A Washington bipartisan group last week recommended to President George W Bush that the primary mission of US forces in Iraq evolve to training and supporting Iraqi forces. It called for the increase in US forces embedded in and supporting Iraqi army units.

REUTERS BDP KN1838