US to Withdraw 750 Troops from Bosnia

The Bush administration is withdrawing about 750 US peacekeeping troops from Bosnia and is consulting with NATO allies on additional cutbacks, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

However, the report said a pledge by Secretary of State Colin Powell to stay the course in the restive Balkans, where more than 9,000 U.S. troops patrol Bosnia and Kosovo, remains effect.

The commitment did not rule out some reductions, said a senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The withdrawal of the troops and the possibility of further reductions was described by the official as part of an evaluation of needs the administration was making with leaders of the military alliance.

A White House official told The Associated Press, meanwhile, that the cutback was the result of a review concluded last December. Based on consultation with the European allies, some heavy equipment and tanks that were no longer necessary are being withdrawn, along with the peacekeepers that manned them.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the troop reduction was being accomplished by not replacing soldiers who have completed their tours of duty in Bosnia.

The official described the reductions as adjustments and said they would not diminish the ability of peacekeepers in Bosnia to carry out their mission.

Condoleezza Rice, Bush's national security adviser, said during the presidential campaign the United States should pull troops out and Bush, too, said he wanted to bring Americans home.

(Xinhua 03/15/2001)