BAGHDAD — The Pentagon's hopes of making substantial reductions in U.S. troop levels in Iraq this year appear to be fading as a result of resurgent violence in the country, particularly in the Sunni Arab stronghold of Al Anbar province, military officials acknowledge.
Army Gen. George W. Casey, commander of U.S.-led forces in Iraq, said Tuesday that he was moving 1,500 "backup" troops from Kuwait to Al Anbar, the western region that includes the war-torn cities of Fallouja and Ramadi.
Publicly, Pentagon officials insisted Tuesday that the move was temporary and unrelated to Casey's much-delayed recommendation on overall troop levels, now expected to be made next month. But other officers have privately acknowledged that the worsening situation in Al Anbar -- particularly in Ramadi, which U.S. officials say is now under insurgent control -- is likely to prevent any significant drawdown this year.
Since the beginning of the year, military commanders have said that progress in forming a government and training the Iraqi military might allow U.S. troop levels to be reduced from more than 130,000 to 100,000 or fewer. But a senior officer privy to Iraq planning discussions, who requested anonymity when discussing internal Pentagon debates, said there was "a growing realization" that ongoing violence was hampering withdrawal plans.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair hinted at that realization last week when, after a meeting with Casey, he said he expected insurgents to "test" the new Iraqi government "very, very strongly" in coming months. Blair and President Bush, meeting at the White House last week, postponed an anticipated announcement on troop reduction.
On Tuesday, Italy announced it would withdraw its 2,600 troops by year's end, and South Korea this week began drawing down 1,000 of its 3,200 troops in Iraq.
Ramadi remains the area of most concern, military officials in Iraq and Washington said. Army Brig. Gen. Carter Ham, a senior planner for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last week that Ramadi was "probably the most contentious city right now inside Iraq," adding that insurgent leader Abu Musab Zarqawi's organization might be trying to establish a "safe haven" in the city.
"It's a convenient location in that regard, because of the Euphrates River valley, access to border areas, access into Baghdad," Ham said. "You could see from that area why it would be an area they'd be interested in."
