Syrian troops in Lebanon are down to 4,000, and these are likely to leave within 10 days _ a week ahead of the April 30 deadline for full withdrawal, Lebanese officials said Tuesday. "The accelerated Syrian troop withdrawals from Lebanon have reduced the number of Syrian soldiers to nearly 4,000," an officer told The Associated Press. Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Murad said: "I can say that they (Syrians) are accelerating the pace of their pullout and they will finish it much earlier than April 30." Asked to give a date for final withdrawal, Murad told The Associated Press: "In my view, they (soldiers and intelligence officials) will be gone home in a week or 10 days."
