U.S. troop cut in Iraq to continue

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Violence in Baghdad and southern Iraq will not derail U.S. plans to withdraw combat troops from the war zone through July, the top U.S. military officer said on Wednesday.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Pentagon would continue its ongoing withdrawal of five brigades, bringing the number of combat troops back down to the level in Iraq before a "surge" of force last year.

But then withdrawals will stop for a period of evaluation, Mullen said, previewing the military's expected message to Congress next week when the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, updates legislators on the war.

"Right now we're still on track for the fifth brigade to come out, the last of the surge brigades to come out, by the end of July and then the period of consolidation and evaluation will take place," Mullen told reporters at the Pentagon.

Mullen would not say how long that assessment period would last. He said security conditions in Iraq would dictate future troop withdrawals.

He also said the need to leave troops in Iraq would preclude the Pentagon from sending more troops to Afghanistan, where NATO has too few soldiers to hold onto the gains made.

"Until forces become available with respect to that (withdrawal from Iraq), I would not expect us to be able to provide additional forces to Afghanistan," he said.

"We've had significant impact there, but we don't have enough forces to hold in what is a classic counterinsurgency."

Mullen's comments come less than a week before Petraeus is scheduled to testify before Congress. He has already made recommendations to President George W. Bush about the next stage of operations in Iraq.

Petraeus is expected to tell lawmakers that the currently planned reduction in troops can continue through July, followed by an evaluation period that military officials say will likely last at least one month.

But the period, often referred to as a "pause" in withdrawals, could last much longer depending on security conditions. That could mean U.S. troop levels will remain above 130,000 through the Bush administration.

The United States has 158,000 troops in Iraq now.

IRAQI VICTORY?

The ability of Iraqi security forces to lead military operations will also affect decisions on U.S. troop reductions. Last week's Iraqi-led operation against Shi'ite militia in Basra has raised doubts inside the Pentagon about the ability of Iraqi troops.

Major clashes between Iraqi forces and militiamen in Basra killed hundreds. Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his Mehdi Army fighters off the streets on Sunday, easing the conflict.

Britain said on Tuesday it would delay pulling its 1,500 troops from Iraq due to the Basra violence.

Mullen praised Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki "strategic intent" in launching the military operation, but he would not judge the performance of Iraqi forces or say whether Iraqi forces won.

He said the violence created the kind of insecurity that commanders will evaluate in determining whether they can begin reducing troop levels again after the assessment period.

"This was a particularly violent week, timeframe, as we know and it is the kind of violence and lack of security that would certainly drive an assessment of what we would do after that," Mullen said.