Top Marine wants to shift troops from Iraq to Afghanistan

Gen. James T. Conway, the Marine Corps commandant, said that gains made by two Marine units sent to Afghanistan's volatile southern provinces this year could be lost if the troops are not replaced in November, and suggested that a drawdown in Iraq would allow him to send fresh units to the region.

"Everyone seems to agree that additional forces are the ideal course of action for preventing a Taliban comeback, but just where they're going to come from is still up for discussion," Conway said at a Pentagon news conference. "It's no secret that the Marine Corps would be proud to be part of that undertaking."

There are 25,000 Marines in once-restive Anbar province, but despite Conway's assessment, any withdrawal is expected to be minimal. Military officials said they were likely to request a reduction of about 1,500 Marines. That is the number needed to replace one of the departing Marine units in Afghanistan, the Twentynine Palms-based 2nd Battalion of the 7th Marine Regiment, which is in southern Farah province.

Still, Conway's comments were the most direct yet by a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in favor of a drawdown in Iraq. He joins a chorus of military leaders in Washington -- including Adm. Michael G. Mullen, the Joint Chiefs' chairman -- who believe withdrawals should resume next month. Mullen said last month that he expected to recommend additional reductions.

Conway's comments come as U.S. officials prepare to hand control of Anbar province, once a leading insurgent stronghold, to the Iraqi government.

Remarks by Conway and Mullen have intensified pressure on Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the outgoing U.S. commander in Iraq, to allow further reductions to free up troops for the troubled Afghanistan mission.

Petraeus is scheduled in about two weeks to deliver his recommendation to President Bush on troop levels in Iraq for the remainder of the year. Petraeus said in May that additional troop reductions were possible in the fall, after the return home this summer of extra forces sent as part of Bush's troop buildup.