The US president George Bush has rejected calls to end the Iraq war. He announced a reduction in US troop numbers in Iraq. George Bush said he was accepting the recommendation of General David Petraeus, the US commander in Iraq, to bring home 5,700 soldiers by Christmas

Four brigades – about 21,500 troops - would be withdrawn by July 2008, along with an undetermined number of support forces. About 168,000 US troops are now in Iraq. Bush said US troops must stay in the battle, and more than 130,000 will remain after the withdrawals in July.

"The principle guiding my decisions on troop levels in Iraq is: return on success," the president said.

The more successful we are, the more American troops can return home."

Al Jazeera