WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- The drawdown of the U.S. combat troops in Iraq to pre-surge level could begin this month, U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus told two U.S. congressional panels.
Among his recommendations are ones that would return a U.S. Marine brigade to the United States in September and would pull an Army brigade by the end of the year, Petraeus, the U.S. troop commander in Iraq, told a joint meeting of House of Representatives committees on Foreign Affairs and Military Services during a hearing on the situation in Iraq.
Based on recent events, Petraeus said U.S. combat troops could be drawn down to pre-surge levels by mid-July 2008. Four other brigades would be reassigned and their surge positions not filled.
Projecting further drawdowns beyond mid-July would be "premature," he said.
