NEW YORK, Oct 11: The US Marine Corps is pressing Pentagon to remove its forces from Iraq and to send marines instead to Afghanistan to take over the leading role in combat there, the New York Times said in a report on Thursday quoting senior military and Pentagon officials.

The Marine Corps commandant’s idea would effectively leave the Iraq war in the hands of the army while giving the Marines a prominent new role in Afghanistan, under overall Nato command, the Times said.

The newspaper said that the suggestion was raised in a session last week convened by Defence Secretary Robert M. Gates for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and regional war-fighting commanders. While still under review, its supporters, including some in the army, argue that a re-alignment could allow the army and Marines each to operate more efficiently in sustaining troop levels for two wars that have put a strain on their forces.

According to officials who have briefed on the closed-door discussion, the idea represents the first tangible new thinking to emerge since the White House last month endorsed a plan to begin gradual troop withdrawals from Iraq, but also signals that American forces likely will be in Iraq for years to come.

At the moment, there are no major Marine units among the 26,000 or so American forces in Afghanistan. In Iraq there are about 25,000 marines among the 160,000 American troops, the report said.

However, the newspaper said it was not clear exactly how many of the Marines in Iraq would be moved over. But the plan would require a major reshuffling, and it would make marines the dominant American force in Afghanistan, in a war that has broader public support than the one in Iraq.

The Times pointed out that Mr Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have not spoken publicly about the Marine concept, and aides to both officials said no formal proposal had been presented by the Marines. But the idea has been the focus of intense discussions between senior Marine Corps officers and other officials within the Defence Department.