Rumsfeld, in Iraq, announces troop reduction

Bush under pressure
Bush is under growing pressure from the Republican-run Congress to cut U.S. forces in Iraq. The conflict’s acceptance by American voters has plummeted as the war’s toll has mounted to more than 2,100 U.S. war dead and 15,000 wounded.

There were 159,000 U.S. troops in Iraq on Thursday.

Iraq on Oct. 15 held a constitutional referendum, and on Dec. 15 held elections for a full-term government.

For the first time since the insurgency took hold in Iraq in midsummer 2003, Rumsfeld spent the night in the country. He previously had made Iraq day trips but spent the night in other countries in the region.

Situation in Afghanistan
In Afghanistan earlier Thursday, military officials said they were progressing toward eliminating the Taliban resistance and al-Qaida terrorists who continue sporadic violence against U.S. troops.

But some officers said the hostile forces were making gains by acquiring more advanced weaponry, such as armor-piercing munitions, and improving their training and organization.

Asked whether conditions in southern Afghanistan are more dangerous than earlier in the conflict, Capt. Matthew Harmon, commander of headquarters company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, said in an interview, “That’s a very fair assessment.” Harmon is serving his fourth tour in Afghanistan.

Capt. Chris Sample said the 1st Battalion had engaged in 88 firefights in the past six months. That is more than in its three previous Afghanistan deployments combined, he said. There also has been a recent increase in car suicide bombers, he said.

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