Drawdowns on schedule, Gates says

MEXICO CITY, April 30 (UPI) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Gates said despite the rise in the number of U.S. troop fatalities in Iraq, the drawdown in the number troops there remains on schedule.

Official counts from the U.S. military put April as the bloodiest month for U.S. troops stationed in Iraq, with more than 45 killed there this month compared with 29 in February.

The rising number of U.S. troop fatalities corresponds with the decline in the number of military forces deployed in Iraq, with three full brigades returning home so far, The McClatchy Newspapers said.

This led some officials to wonder if the diminished number of troops in Iraq can sustain the fragile security gains achieved since the U.S. "surge" of forces in 2007.

Gates, however, said the drawdown remains on schedule for completion by the end of July.

The secretary told reporters on a diplomatic visit to Mexico he blames Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr and his Mehdi Army for stoking violence in Iraq despite the cleric's continuation of a cease-fire.

"It has more to do with a mixed message, I think, coming out of Sadr in terms of whether or not his followers should maintain the cease-fire or are they at liberty to go after U.S. troops," Gates said.