The Bush administration was working on a military reorganisation based on splitting postwar Iraq into three sectors. A division of US forces would continue to secure Baghdad, the British would lead a multinational division in the south, and Poland would command a third international division, the paper said.

The motivation behind the US troop reduction was to avoid giving any sense of a US occupation of Iraq, and to free up forces to prepare for other potential crises, the Times added.

The precise timing of the US troop withdrawal depended on a number of factors, including the levels of criminal activity and paramilitary attacks, the efficacy of the new Iraqi police force, and the establishment of an interim government in Baghdad, the paper said.

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Friday that the participation of other troops from other countries would also be a determining factor.

"Of course, the larger number of countries that participate, the fewer number of forces from the United States will be necessary," Rumsfeld told a press conference during his visit to London.

Britain will hold a meeting to generate forces from other countries for its division on May 7, and Poland will do likewise on May 22, Rumsfeld added.

Other countries expected to provide troops include Australia, Bulgaria, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Ukraine, while the Philippines, Qatar and South Korea have agreed to provide non-military assistance, according to the Times report.

SPACE.WIRE