The US and Britain are planning to pull all their troops out of Iraq by the spring of next year, two British newspapers reported yesterday, quoting unnamed senior defense ministry sources.
The Sunday Telegraph said the planned pull-out followed an acceptance by the two governments that the presence of foreign troops in Iraq was now a large obstacle to securing peace.
"The British government is understood to be the driving force behind the withdrawal plan but all 24 coalition members are likely to welcome the move, given the growing international unpopularity of the war," the Telegraph said.
12 months
The Sunday Mirror newspaper also reported on the planned withdrawal of US and UK troops, saying it would happen within 12 months.
The Bush administration and Pentagon have stated repeatedly there is no timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq, and a US military spokesman repeated that on Saturday.
"We've made no such plans," said Pentagon spokesman Major Paul Swiergosz.
A defense ministry spokesman in London rejected the reports, saying the British government had not altered its position set out by Defense Secretary John Reid on Feb. 7. Reid said then that the "time was approaching" when coalition forces could begin leaving Iraq, but refused to give any detailed timetable.
There are currently about 135,000 US soldiers and Marines and about 8,500 British troops in Iraq. The full US-led coalition numbers around 160,000.
South Korean troops
Yesterday, South Korea, which has the third-largest number of troops, announced that a planned one-third cut in its military in Iraq -- from 3,200 troops to 2,300 -- will begin next month, according to Major General Jung Seung-jo, chief of the South Korean troops stationed in the Kurdish region of Irbil in northern Iraq, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.
The Defense Ministry in Seoul confirmed Jung's remarks.
Italy, which has the fourth-largest contingent in Iraq, has said it plans to pull out this year.
Gradual pullout
US and Iraqi officials have said frequently in the past that foreign troops will be gradually withdrawn from Iraq once Iraqi security forces are capable of guaranteeing security for the 27 million population.
US and British troops have trained 230,000 Iraqis to take on roles in the police force and the Iraqi army, although both are currently incapable of securing the nation on their own.
The US military withdrew around 15,000 troops after Iraq had successful elections in December for its first full-term parliament since the overthrow of former president Saddam Hussein in 2003.
The recent sectarian violence in Iraq has provoked fears that the country is on the brink of civil war, a scenario that could greatly complicate the role of foreign troops.
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