By Prensa Latina
Washington : US President George W. Bush announced on Thursday an indefinite pause in troop withdrawal from Iraq and reduced the length of combat tours there to 12 months, down from the current 15-month stay.
In a speech at the White House Cross Hall, the president backed the suggestion of his top war commander in Iraq Gen. David Petraeus, who appeared before Congress this week along with US Ambassador to Baghdad Ryan Crocker.
Petraeus described war situation as fragile and reversible and suggested to halt the return of units for 45 days, starting in August following the evacuation of nearly 30,000 reinforcements sent in 2007.
The United States has nearly 160,000 servicemen deployed in Iraq, where 4,023 US troops have been killed and another 30,000 have been wounded.