George W. Bush plans to withdraw 4,000 troops from Iraq before the end of his presidency as the Pentagon starts to shift its focus to Afghanistan, the White House said on Monday.
The US will withdraw 3,400 combat support troops in addition to a battalion of marines over the next few months, according to an advance transcript of a speech Mr Bush gives on Tuesday to the National Defence University. Under the plan, the Pentagon will also not replace an army combat brigade – about 3,500 soldiers – that is expected to return from Iraq in February.
