Bush: Troops to withdraw
Bush agrees to troop cuts but says US military will stretch beyond his term
Washington: President George W. Bush has ordered gradual troop reductions in Iraq but said that the US military there will stretch beyond his presidency.
In a televised address on Thursday, Bush defied calls for an immediate pullout of troops in Iraq, saying that Iraq "needed an enduring relationship with America".
Bush's decision followed recommendations by his top commander in Iraq for a limited withdrawal of about 20,000 US troops by July.
"Because of the measure of success we are seeing in Iraq, we can begin seeing troops come home," Bush said after General David Petraeus delivered congressional testimony that underscored deep partisan divisions over the war.
Bush said 5,700 Marines and soldiers would be home by the end of the year.
"The more successful we are, the more American troops can return home," Bush said. He said Petraeus would report to Congress again in March.
