PENTAGON: NO NEW TROOPS FOR AFGHANISTAN WITHOUT DEEPER CUTS IN IRAQ FORCES

No US troop increase in Afghanistan without deeper cuts in Iraq: Pentagon

http://www.spacewar.com/reports/No_US_troop_increase_in_Afghanistan_without_deeper_cuts_in_Iraq_Pentagon_999.html

by Staff WritersWashington (AFP) May 6, 2008The Pentagon said Tuesday that any sizeable increase in much-needed US forces in Afghanistan will depend on deeper troop cuts in Iraq than currently planned.

Military commanders, worried about a persistent and growing Taliban challenge, have said they require up to three more brigades, or about 10,000 troops, to fill gaps in a NATO-led force in Afghanistan.

But Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell made clear that relief in Afghanistan can only come from Iraq, where US forces now find themselves embroiled in a bloody struggle with Shiite militias.

"We really have to get down in Iraq below 15 brigade combat teams for us to consider adding multiple additional brigades to Afghanistan," Morrell told reporters.

"So, not until we get to that point can we even consider that prospect," he said.
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates had said after a summit of NATO leaders in Bucharest last month that he expects the United States to make a significant addition of its forces in Afghanistan next year.