Bush to pull back 8,000 troops from Iraq next year
2008-09-09 14:43:22 GMT2008-09-09 22:43:22 (Beijing Time) Xinhua English
U.S. President George W. Bush delivers a speech at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., the United States, Sept. 9, 2008. Bush said Tuesday that he plans to withdraw about 8,000 U.S. troops from Iraq by next February and to send some 4,500 troops to Afghanistan next January.(Xinhua/Zhang Yan)
U.S. President George W. Bush delivers a speech at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., the United States, Sept. 9, 2008. Bush said Tuesday that he plans to withdraw about 8,000 U.S. troops from Iraq by next February and to send some 4,500 troops to Afghanistan next January.(Xinhua/Zhang Yan)
WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush said Tuesday that he will withdraw some 8,000 troops from Iraq earlier next year when he is leaving office.
Bush made the announcement in a speech at the National Defense University in Washington.
But except withdrawing a Marine battalion of about 1,000 in November, there won't be other reductions in troop levels in Iraq through this year, he said.
In addition, a small Marine contingent will be sent to Afghanistan in November to replace one of two units scheduled to head home then.
There are about 146,000 U.S. troops in Iraq at the present.
