12-08-2005, 05:30 PM
Cnn Wrote:WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The military may reduce the number of U.S. troops in Iraq after next week's parliamentary elections, but some of those troops were slated to come home earlier. Meanwhile, others who have not arrived yet may get to stay put, a Pentagon source said Thursday..:Full Story:.
It's long been in the works to bring home 23,000 troops after the elections. Those men and women were supposed to come home earlier, but their tours were extended to help beef up security before the December 15 elections, the source said.
Two brigades -- one in Kuwait and one in Kansas -- were scheduled to ship out to Iraq after the elections, but they will likely remain where they are for now, Pentagon sources said.
Those two brigades represent about 10,000 soldiers -- 5,000 members of the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division in Fort Riley, Kansas, and another 5,000 troops from the Army's 1st Armored Division in Kuwait. The latter will serve as a quick-reaction brigade rather than moving into Iraq, the sources said.
Also, a Pentagon official said, some units that train Iraqi forces might be scaled down. No decision has been made on withdrawing troops, the sources said Thursday.
