'Maybe they will, maybe they won't': White House plays down Iraq troop withdrawal reports

(AP) President Bush on Monday brushed aside reports that the United States is planning sharp troop withdrawals from Iraq, beginning in September. Such a decision will be made by the new Iraqi government and based upon recommendations from the top U.S. general there, Bush said.

Conditions on the ground will help shape the recommendation from Gen. George W. Casey, Bush told reporters.

"And one of the things General Casey assured me of was that whatever recommendation he makes, it'll be aimed toward achieving victory," Bush said. "And victory means a free government that is able to sustain itself, defend itself."

Bush met with Casey, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, at the White House on Friday. The president spoke with reporters Monday after meeting with leaders of organizations that support the U.S. military in Iraq.

Bush's press secretary, Tony Snow, earlier played down reports that the U.S. may draw up to two combat brigades, or as many as 7,000 troops, from Iraq in September

"I would caution very strongly against everybody thinking, `Well, they're going to pull two brigades out,'" Snow said.

"Maybe they will, maybe they won't," he said. "It really does depend upon a whole series of things that we cannot at this juncture predict. I would characterize this more in terms of scenario building and we'll see how it proceeds," Snow added.

The New York Times reported that Casey has drafted a plan that projects sharp reductions in Iraq with the number of American combat brigades projected to decrease to five or six from the current level of 14 by the end of 2007.

The first reductions would involve two combat brigades that would rotate out of Iraq in September without being replaced, according to the plan. Combat brigades, which generally have about 3,500 troops, do not make up the bulk of the 127,000-member American force in Iraq.

Asked about that report, Bush confirmed that he met with Casey on Friday and that "we talked about a lot of things."

"In terms of our troop presence there, that decision will be made by Gen. Casey as well as the sovereign government of Iraq, based upon conditions on the ground," Bush said.

"I've told the American people our commanders will be making the decisions as to how to achieve victory. And Gen. Casey, of course, is the lead person," Bush said.

Bush said he and Casey also talked about the joint US-Iraqi operation to secure Baghdad and conditions in rebellious Anbar province and its provincial capital of Ramadi, a haven for the Sunni-led insurgency.

"The coalition is in the lead in Ramadi and we're trying to make sure Ramadi does not become a safe haven for al-Qaida. And so he (Casey) explained to me the tactics on the ground, what we're doing to secure that city and to run the al-Qaida types out," Bush said.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Casey talked both about positive trends that he's seeing in Iraq, and the issues that lie ahead.

"The challenges that he talked about are very real and somewhat unpredictable," said Whitman. "And because of that, there's going to need to be a certain amount of flexibility that the commander has, to adjust forces over time."

"There should not be hard and fast timetables associated with our force adjustments," said Whitman. "The commanders on the ground need the flexibility to be able to adjust the troop levels based on the conditions that exist."

Snow, the White House spokesman, refused to disclose what Casey told Bush but said the general has "a number of scenarios in mind for differing situations on the ground." He said planning would change based on conditions on the ground.

"But I'm certainly not going to announce in advance anything that he may have in mind for the president or that he may be recommending," Snow said. "Just don't do that in a time of war."