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Bush orders 8,000 troops home from Iraq by next Feb

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-09-09 23:49

Bush also said more work needs to be done in Afghanistan, where the number of US forces has risen from 20,000 two years ago to 31,000 at present.

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In November, a Marine battalion that had been poised to be sent to Iraq will instead be sent to Afghanistan and an Army combat brigade of several thousand fighters will go to Afghanistan in January, he said.

"They will help clarify a stark contrast in Afghanistan: While the terrorists and extremists deliberately target and murder the innocent, coalition and Afghan forces risk their lives to protect the innocent," he said.

But the president acknowledged the US military is sometimes responsible for civilian deaths, which Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has complained bitterly about.

One analyst on Iraqi affairs said the plan announced Tuesday reflected concerns of US commanders that any rush to force troop reductions could lead to instability.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama wants all US forces out of Iraq within 16 months of taking office while his Republican opponent, John McCain, also said there could be significant reductions of US troop strength in Iraq within two years, though it is condition-based.

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