WASHINGTON, Nov 23: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Tuesday that the United States would start withdrawing troops from Iraq when the Iraqi armed forces were ready to take over security responsibilities, and this may happen “fairly soon”.

Hours after Ms Rice indicated the possible withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, some US newspapers reported that the Pentagon plans to recall three combat brigades from Iraq early next year.

One of these three brigades, however, would be ‘on call’ in Kuwait to deal with any sudden development, the reports said. The US currently has 18 brigades in Iraq.

“The president has said that as soon as Iraqi forces are ready, we want to see a reduction in our forces, “ Ms Rice told Fox News, adding: “I think those days are going to be coming fairly soon when Iraqis are going to be more and more capable of carrying out the functions to secure their own future.”