The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Washington

US commander General David Petraeus Sunday hailed "fragile" progress towards damping down sectarian bloodshed in Iraq but cautioned against a faster withdrawal of US forces.

Insurgent attacks and casualties among US troops and Iraqi civilians have fallen sharply, he said, helping the United States to press ahead with plans to withdraw five combat units from Iraq next year. "Obviously, we want to reduce the strain on our ground forces as much as we can while recognizing that what has been achieved here remains tenuous and is still fragile in a number of areas," Petraeus said on Fox News Sunday. He stressed his agreement with Defense Secretary Robert Gates that planning for any further withdrawals would be "conditions-based," dependent on whether Iraqi violence continues to fall or not.