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."
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique