The U.S. commander in charge of coalition forces in Iraq projects large reductions in the 127,000-member American force in Iraq, starting in September and continuing through 2007, according to an online report posted late Saturday. In the plan proposed by Gen. George Casey at a classified Pentagon briefing, two combat brigades -- about 7,000 troops -- would rotate out of Iraq without being replaced, said The New York Times, quoting unnamed U.S. officials. The brigades scheduled to be withdrawn are the First Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division and the Third Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division, the Times said. The number of brigades would decline from 14 to 12. Military sources told CNN Thursday that Casey was considering pulling about two brigades out of Iraq -- 6,000 to 10,000 forces -- as part of a gradual reduction of troops, but that was not confirmed at a news conference by him or U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
