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Gates Discusses Summer Troop Drawdown In Iraq

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Top U.S. military leaders have presented Defense Secretary Robert Gates with their strategy for future force levels in Iraq, including expected recommendations for a pause in troop cuts for as much as six weeks this summer.

The presentations took place Thursday during an hour-long video conference. And the discussions mark the start of what will be a series of meetings, presentations and congressional testimony over the next two weeks that will assess the military, political and economic progress in Iraq.

Thursday morning, Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen -- who's chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- heard from the top commander in the Middle East, Admiral William Fallon, and the U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus.

(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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