WASHINGTON, May 22: The US military has plans to consolidate its forces in Iraq onto four big air bases as Washington looks ahead to giving up over 100 bases used by international forces, The Washington Post newspaper reported on Sunday.

“Several officers involved in drafting the consolidation plan said it entailed the construction of longer-lasting facilities at the sites, including barracks and office structures made of concrete block,” the paper reported.

However the officers told the Post the consolidation plan was not meant to establish a permanent US military presence in Iraq and that no timetable exists for turning over all US bases in the war-torn country.

The chief determining factor on reducing US forces in Iraq will be “the strength of the insurgency and the ability of Iraq’s security services to fight it,” the paper said. Separately, a US military spokesman in Iraq said the Post’s report was accurate.—AFP