WASHINGTON, Oct 27: The United States has increased its forces in Iraq to the highest total of the invasion at 161,000 troops, and the Pentagon said on Thursday it expected a similar number in place for the December elections.

The US military increased its force in Iraq in advance of the Oct 15 referendum in which Iraqis approved a new constitution. The current total is about 23,000 higher than the usual level of 138,000, which includes 17 brigades.

Iraqi voters go to the polls again on Dec. 15 to select a new government.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita told reporters that the US force would begin to decline “pretty dramatically” in the immediate future.

“For the next election (in December), it wouldn’t surprise me to see it go right back up to 160,000 again,” Di Rita said.

Di Rita said he expected Army Gen. George Casey, the top commander in Iraq, would “err on the side of more rather than less for the purposes of the election,” as he did for the constitutional referendum.

The United States has increased its force in Iraq periodically to provide extra security for elections and other political milestones like the June 2004 transfer of sovereignty.

The 161,000 troops is more than the original American invasion force in March 2003 and topped the previous high of 159,000 in place for the Jan. 30 parliamentary elections.—Reuters