US President George W Bush has announced he will withdraw almost 8,000 troops from Iraq by February 2009 and launch a 'quiet surge' in Afghanistan.
In a speech to the National Defense University in Washington, DC, the US Commander-in-Chief made what is probably his last stamp on the war before leaving office in January (click here to watch his complete speech).
He credited the 'surge' in Iraq for helping to stabilise various regions, including the Anbar province.
Now he wants to apply a smaller version of the 'surge' to Afghanistan where Taliban forces have achieved deadly gains in recent months.
He will send nearly 3,500 additional US troops to Afghanistan, which represents more than a 10% increase.
At the same time, almost 8,000 US troops will be withdrawn from Iraq over the next five months, although the current force strength of 146,000 remains largely intact.
One Marine battalion, numbering about 1,000 troops, will go home on schedule in November and not be replaced. An Army brigade of between 3,500 and 4,000 troops will leave in February. Accompanying that combat drawdown will be about 3,400 support forces over the next several months.
'Here is the bottom line: While the enemy in Iraq is still dangerous, we have seized the offensive, Iraqi forces are becoming increasingly capable of leading and winning the fight,' Mr Bush said.
The president added more US forces could be withdrawn in the first half of 2009 if conditions improve in Iraq.
His move in Iraq is slower and smaller than what many Democrats and some Republicans in Congress have called for over the past two years.
'The President's plan to reduce force levels in Iraq may seem to signal movement in the right direction, but it really defers troop reductions until the next administration,' said the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Ike Skelton.
'More significant troop reductions in Iraq are needed so that we can start to rebuild US military readiness and provide the additional forces needed to finish the fight in Afghanistan.'
Mr Bush's strategy appears to leave the political calculus of the presidential race unchanged.
Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has advocated pulling all US combat forces out of Iraq within 16 months of taking office. Republican nominee John McCain has said he would rely on the advice of US military commanders to determine the timing and pace of troop reductions.
Both candidates have said more troops are needed in Afghanistan, where there has been a resurgence of the Taliban and a growth in violence.
