Bush defends high troop levels in Iraq

President George Bush said on Thursday night that while about 6,000 troops will be home by Christmas, the need to make progress in Iraq will see current troop levels remain very high into next summer. While Bush argued that the security situation is improving there, other reports suggest only limited progress. The president's plan to keep large numbers of troops in Iraq for the foreseeable future has created controversy among senior military officers, who worry about the strain placed on the armed forces.

In his speech, published on the White House website, the President said that one could make a strong case that gains are being made in Iraq.

In Iraq, an ally of the United States is fighting for its survival. Terrorists and extremists who are at war with us around the world are seeking to topple Iraq's government, dominate the region, and attack us here at home. If Iraq's young democracy can turn back these enemies, it will mean a more hopeful Middle East and a more secure America. This ally has placed its trust in the United States. And tonight, our moral and strategic imperatives are one: We must help Iraq defeat those who threaten its future and also threaten ours.

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This week, General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker testified before Congress about how that strategy is progressing. In their testimony, these men made clear that our challenge in Iraq is formidable. Yet they concluded that conditions in Iraq are improving, that we are seizing the initiative from the enemy, and that the troop surge is working.

Bush argued in his address to the nation that security is improving in Iraq, reports the Associated Press.

Bush said 5,700 US forces would be home by Christmas instead of leaving Iraq beginning in the spring as originally planned. Four more combat brigades would pull out of Iraq as currently scheduled by July.

These troops comprise the troop buildup that Bush ordered in January that boosted US troop strength to 168,000, the highest level of the war. Under the withdrawal plan, troop levels would drop back to around 130,000 by next summer, close to where they were before the buildup.

Bush said the US engagement will stretch beyond his presidency. But he hinted further reductions were possible before he leaves office, saying the top US commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, and US ambassador Ryan Crocker will report again in March.

"The troop surge is working," Bush said. "The more successful we are, the more American troops can return home."

However, Bush made it clear that, in his view, troops should remain in Iraq for years to come, even as his aides finished a report that Iraq is making limited progress at best, reports The Washington Post.

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