Strength To Drop in Iraq, Rise in Afghanistan

President Bush announced Sept. 9 that the U.S. military presence in Iraq would diminish by 8,000 by January, if the present trend toward stability and decreased violence there is sustained. Speaking at the National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., Bush also said that another Marine Corps battalion will head to Afghanistan in November to help train that country’s troops. The unit had originally been slated for a tour in Iraq. Another Army brigade will deploy to Afghanistan in January as well, he said. Bush attributed the decision to reduce Iraq strength to the recent surge of U.S. forces, which largely succeeded in squelching insurgent activity and bolstering the Iraqi forces’ ability to defend their country themselves.