WASHINGTON, March 8: Democrats in the US House of Representatives announced plans on Thursday to push for the withdrawal of American combat troops from Iraq by the fall of 2008.

If Iraq meets all benchmarks, US troops must be out of Iraq by August 2008, according to a summary of the legislation provided by the House Appropriations Committee.

The measure would allow some troops to stay to train Iraqi soldiers and protect US diplomatic facilities.

Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey said the proposal would bring an "orderly and responsible close" to the American participation in Iraq's civil war.

Under the proposed legislation, the withdrawal would be moved up if the Iraqi government fails to meet security goals.

The decision to enforce a timetable through legislation risks a confrontation with the White House and Republican lawmakers but a House aide said that President George W. Bush could not waive that deadline.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she hoped the proposal was approved next week in the House Appropriations Committee as part of a $100 billion bill to continue funding the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

If so, the full House would debate the measure the following week.

In order to make the bill more politically tenable, Democrats plan to add $1.2 billion to Mr Bush's request for military operations against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, as well as provide for veterans' health care and medical programmes for active duty troops.

Speaker Pelosi told reporters the measure would mark the first time the Democratic-controlled Congress established a "date certain" for the withdrawal of US troops in the bloody four-year-old war that has claimed the lives of more than 3,100 US servicemen.

The Democrats, who disagree over how best to handle the Iraq situation, are presenting the new move as an approach that would satisfy liberals reluctant to vote for continued funding without driving away more moderate Democrats unwilling to be seen as tying the hands of military commanders.

Some Democrats have expressed strong feelings against a swift pullout.

“There's a fine line that I hope will not be blurred between micromanaging the war and assuring accountability, said Rep. Stephanie Herseth, a leader of the conservative Blue Dog Democrats. “I don't think we should be overreacting to public opinion polls.”

But an influential group of liberal House Democrats, which wants a complete withdrawal of US troops from Iraq by December 31 this year, said they would oppose their leadership's plan and push for their own legislation.

Negotiations between Ms Pelosi and the liberals could continue for the next two weeks under the planned timetable for introducing the legislation.

Agencies add: The White House swiftly vowed Bush would wield his presidential veto to block the bill becoming law, and Republicans in Congress branded the move a “road-map for terrorists” as tensions over Iraq raced back to boiling point. “Obviously, the administration would vehemently oppose and ultimately veto any legislation that looks like what was described today,” Bush adviser Dan Bartlett told reporters on Air Force One as the president travelled to Brazil.

“What we're seeing here is an artificial, precipitous withdrawal from Iraq based on, unfortunately, politics in Washington, not conditions on the ground in Baghdad, Iraq.”