By DPA
Washington : The US military is considering a suggestion that it shift the Marine Corps away from operations in Iraq and instead send the troops to Afghanistan in a bid to reduce the strain on US forces, The New York Times reported Thursday.
Marine Commandant General James Conway made the proposal during a meeting of top military leaders with US Defence Secretary Robert Gates last week, sources familiar with the discussion told the newspaper.
The move would free up Army forces currently stretched between both conflicts to focus solely on Iraq.
The military has been strained by extended tours of duty in the two countries, leaving troops less time at home and for training and limiting the number of soldiers available in case of emergencies elsewhere.
It was not clear how the idea had been received.
There are 160,000 US troops in Iraq as part of a beefed-up presence in the country, and President George W. Bush has said he wants to reduces that number by 30,000. Of the troops in Iraq, 25,000 are Marines, but there are no major Marine units in Afghanistan, the paper said.