The US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, has announced that the United States will withdraw between 5,000 and 9,000 soldiers from Iraq by next spring.
However, he indicated that troops involved in training Iraq's new military would be increased.
Mr Rumsfeld was speaking on the second day of a surprise visit to Iraq. He is due to hold talks with the Iraqi President, Jalal Talabani, in Baghdad today.
This morning Mr Rumsfeld was in the former insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, 50 kilometres west of Baghdad, on a surprise visit to US troops stationed there.
'We anticipate future coalition force-level discussions at some point in 2006, after the new Iraqi government is in place and is prepared to discuss the future,' said Mr Rumsfeld.
