U.S President George W. Bush told reporters June 26 he would await a recommendation from Army Gen. George Casey Jr., the top U.S. commander in Iraq, before making any decisions. "And one of the things General Casey assured me of was that whatever recommendation he makes, it'll be aimed toward achieving victory."

Bush brushed aside reports that Casey had plans for sending home two combat brigades by September without replacing them.

But Tony Snow, Bush's press secretary, said later that such a plan is under consideration among several others.

"Gen. Casey proposes lots of things and actually laid out more than one option. And everybody's fastening on one," Snow said. "Certainly that's under consideration, but I would warn against saying this is what he wants."

Meanwhile, the Iraqi High Tribunal announced that Saddam Hussein and six others will face a second trial on Aug. 21 for the 1980s Anfal campaign that killed an estimated 100,000 Kurds.

The Japan Times Weekly: July 1, 2006
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