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thedrifter
08-31-07, 06:47 AM
Bush to Discuss Iraq With US Military Leaders
By VOA News
31 August 2007

President Bush will consult with his top military leaders Friday about the future of the U.S.-led operation in Iraq.

Mr. Bush will hear assessments from each member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Pentagon officials say the leaders of each of the military's major branches -- Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines -- will give the president "unvarnished" recommendations and assessments.

News reports say the Joint Chiefs will express concern that the current level of 160,000 U.S. troops in Iraq will provide a strain on the military if it is maintained into next year.

In another development, The New York Times says an independent commission will recommend overhauling Iraq's 26,000 member security force, in order to rid it of corrupt officers and Shi'ite militants suspected of taking part in sectarian killings.

The commission was established by Congress to specifically look into the worthiness of Iraq's army and police force.

On Wednesday, the White House and the Pentagon disputed a congressional assessment of the Iraq war that is reported to say that the country is failing to meet most U.S. benchmarks for progress.

U.S. media report the Government Accountability Office is preparing to release a document that says Iraq has met just a few of the 18 political and security indicators set by the U.S. government to measure progress.

But Defense Department officials say they are providing additional information that could revise some of the report's negative findings before its official release next week.

Some information for this report was provided by AP

Ellie