BAGHDAD, Feb 9: US forces in Iraq began scaling down their presence inside Baghdad with the arrival of fresh troops who are mostly moving into bases on the city's outskirts, a top US commander said on Monday.
Brigadier General Mark Hertling, assistant commander of the departing First Armored Division, said the arriving First Cavalry Division is moving into eight bases around Baghdad, with one in the centre. It is a contrast to the 26 bases in the city now and down from as many as 60 last summer just after the invasion.
The United States has said it is shifting its troop presence to Baghdad's perimeter to ease newly trained Iraqi police officers and Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldiers into their eventual role as the capital's guardians.
"This is in conjunction with the stand-up of the ICDC and an improvement in the number of Iraqi police available in Baghdad," Brig Hertling told reporters, but added there was no firm deadline for a complete turnover of Baghdad security to Iraqis.
"If you're asking me for a set date, there is none," he said. "Some of the regions within Baghdad will go faster than others."
The eight bases on the outskirts of Baghdad will house between 25,000 and 30,000 troops, and will be the only US presence in Baghdad after the First Cavalry assumes command on April 15, Hertling said. He said training for the Iraqi Civil Defence Corp is all but complete, and about 1,000 police are being trained a month. -Reuters
