Halt pullout now, General Petraeus tells Senate

Washington: The US general commanding the Iraq war has called for an open-ended suspension of US troop withdrawals this July, reflecting concern about a recent flare-up in violence and leaving open the possibility that few, if any, additional troops will be brought home before President George W. Bush leaves office in January.

General David Petraeus told a Senate hearing on Tuesday he recommends a 45-day "period of consolidation and evaluation" once the extra combat forces Bush ordered to Iraq last year have completed their pullout in July. He did not commit to a timetable for resuming troop reductions after the 45-day pause.

Assessment

"At the end of that period, we will commence a process of assessment to examine the conditions on the ground and, over time, determine when we can make recommendations for further reductions," Petraeus said.

The testimony came as the US ambassador to Iraq said on Tuesday any deal with Baghdad on the long-term presence of US troops in Iraq will not establish permanent bases and will not tie the hands of the next US president.

Ryan Crocker also warned that the US commitment to Iraq should not be open-ended, despite saying the American troop surge in the country was "working."

"The strategy that began with the surge is working," ambassador Ryan Crocker told the Senate Armed Services committee.

Troop levels

The United States now has 160,000 troops in Iraq. Under plans announced last year, the Pentagon is pulling five combat brigades - or about 20,000 troops - out by mid-July, bringing the force level down to what it was before the surge.