20 Nov. London Times - American Plan for First Troop Withdrawals Within Month.

American commanders of the war in Iraq have drawn up a bold plan to start pulling troops out of the country after elections next month.

The plan, which has been submitted to Donald Rumsfeld, the US defense secretary, calls for more than 60,000 troops - over a third of the total - to leave by the end of next year.

According to US television reports this weekend, the total number left in Iraq would fall from 161,000 to what defense experts call the "magic number" of below 100,000.

The Pentagon refused to confirm the proposals last night but a senior Ministry of Defence source said they appeared to "match our own plans" for a phased withdrawal under which most British troops will have left Iraq by the end of 2006.