A confidential British military assessment examines the possibility of drastically cutting troop strength in Iraq by the end of next year, to 3,000 from about 8,500 now, in a memo leaked to the newspaper the Mail on Sunday. The memo also raises the possibility of a sharp drop in the number of troops the US and other allies have in Iraq by the middle of next year.
John Reid, the UK defense minister, confirmed the document's authenticity on Sunday but said it was one of a number of papers setting out scenarios for a transfer of security responsibilities to Iraqi forces. Pentagon officials and Reid stressed that no final decision on troop levels or timetables for withdrawal had been reached.
The document, titled "Options for Future UK Force Posture in Iraq", lays out a potential "halving" of costs of about US$1.8 billion a year for Britain in such troop cuts. It also refers to "strong US military desire" to hand over control to Iraqi forces in 14 out of 18 provinces. However, the paper said, while politicians favored a "relatively bold reduction," US commanders in Iraq were urging caution.
On Sunday, several Pentagon officials said the British memo, which appears to have been written at least a month ago, was accurate in describing the desire among US officials to reduce force levels next year -- if security conditions and the performance of Iraqi security forces improve.
Despite recent pressure from Congress to discuss possible force reductions, US officials have been reluctant to discuss timelines for withdrawals, arguing that to do so would encourage Iraqi insurgents.
"I wouldn't want to predict when the conditions could be such that US forces would be able to be there in smaller numbers," said Bryan Whitman, a senior Pentagon spokesman.
He said that the British memo's assertion that "emerging US plans" envision steep troop reductions next year "is not inconsistent with the goal." But he added, "With respect to timelines, I wouldn't want to speculate."
The US currently has about 140,000 troops in Iraq, according to the Pentagon. The British memo discusses a possible reduction in overall troop strength, including the US and its allies, from 176,000 to 66,000 next year.
Top US commanders have said in recent weeks that the training of Iraqi units is progressing. But despite predictions from administration officials that Iraq forces would begin taking the lead against the insurgency, Major General William Webster Jr., who commands US forces in and around Baghdad, told reporters at a Pentagon briefing on Friday that it would probably take until next spring before Iraqi security forces would be able to operate completely on their own.
Reid issued a statement on Sunday saying that Britain would keep its troops in Iraq, where they are concentrated around the southern port of Basra, "for as long as is needed."
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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