Bush to recall 6000 troops from Iraq by end-2007
Washington,
Sep
16:
President
Bush
has
said
that
he
will
bring
back
six-thousand
American
troops
home
from
Iraq
by
the
year
end
as
security
situation
is
improving
their.
''The
principle
that
guides
my
decisions
on
troop
levels
is
'return
on
success''',
said
the
President.
''The
more
successful
we
are,
the
more
troops
can
return
home
and
I
will
ensure
that
our
commanders
on
the
ground
have
the
troops
and
flexibility
they
need
to
defeat
the
enemy'',
the
President
said
in
his
weekly
radio
address
today.
This mechanism would leave 130,000 US troops in Iraq by the middle of next year.
Their is evidence of improving security in Iraq with decline in sectarian violence in Baghdad and break-up of Iranian-backed militant groups.
''The success of a free Iraq is critical to the security of the United States and if we were to be driven out of Iraq, extremists of all strains would be emboldened'', the President said.
'' Al Qaida could find new recruits and new sanctuaries with a failed Iraq increasing the likelihood of our forces returning back and confronting extremists more entrenched and more deadly'', added the US President.
Democrat Congressman Tom Lantos criticised the President's decision to send more troops to Iraq earlier this year.
Iraq's leader failed to reconcile political differences and failed to take advantage, was the contention of the US President on this charge.
The Democratic Party, which enjoys majority in both Houses of Congress, wants more troops home sooner. The party plans to put more pressure for troop recall through legislative mechanism.
Meanwhile Defense Secretary Robert Gates had yesterday hinted at the possibility of a drastic reduction in the US troop strength in Iraq, sharper than what President Bush had announced in his address to the nation on Thursday.
The US troop levels in Iraq could be cut to about 100,000 by the end of next year, said the Defence Secretry talking to newsmen.
Presently, there are about 169,000 American troops in Iraq.
UNI