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George W. Bush
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U.S. officials say President George W. Bush will endorse a recommendation by his top general in Iraq to suspend troop pullouts from the war zone in July.
Mr. Bush is expected to make the announcement in a speech at the White House Thursday outlining his future Iraq policy.
General David Petraeus has recommended suspending troop withdrawals from Iraq in July for at least 45 days, to allow the military to "consolidate and evaluate" recent gains.
Mr. Bush also is expected to announce shorter tours for some troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The move would cut tours from 15 months to 12 months to ease the military strain of extended deployments.
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General David Petraeus (l) and Ambassador Ryan Crocker testifying before the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, 09 Apr 2008
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Mr. Bush's speech follows two days of congressional testimony by the two top U.S. officials in Iraq. General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker both said security in Iraq has improved, but is fragile and reversible.
Petraeus also said he is unlikely to call for another surge of U.S. forces even if Iraq's security gets worse.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
VOA News
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