Iraqi Official Says Foreign Forces Could Fall Below 100,000 This Year
The chairman of a high-level group planning the transfer of security responsibilities from American to Iraqi troops said the number of American and other foreign soldiers here would probably fall to below 100,000 by year’s end and that an overwhelming majority could be out in two years. The statements by Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Iraq’s national security adviser and the chairman of a joint Iraqi-American committee planning the transfer, give the strongest indication yet that the Bush administration is preparing to carry out significant reductions in American forces over the current year. Full Story