Today

US President George W Bush has come under fresh criticism over his policies on Iraq.

Democratic opponents of Mr Bush say he is trying to put off difficult decisions on troop withdrawals until after the presidential elections.

Mr Bush announced on Thursday that US troop levels in Iraq would be reduced by around 20,000 by July.

But the US President stated after that, the "drawdown" process would be frozen, adding that he would not review his policy until September.

This would all but ensure that any decision on further cutbacks would be made by his successor.

According to Mr Bush, the decision to halt withdrawals would allow senior commander General David Petraeus to have "all the time he needs" to assess the next step.

But his political opponents say the decision to suspend the withdrawal of troops shows he lacks a clear exit strategy.

"It's time for the president to answer the question being asked of him: In the wake of the failed surge, what is the endgame in Iraq?" Democratic presidential contender and Senator Hilary Clinton asked.

Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Speaker of the House, added: "The president has taken us into a failed war, he's taken us deeply into debt and that debt is taking us into recession. We need some answers from the president."

But Mr Bush, unsurprisingly, defended his controversial decision. He said: "General [David] Petraeus says he'll need time to consolidate his forces and assess how this reduced American presence will affect conditions on the ground before making measured recommendations on further reductions.

"And I've told him he'll have all the time he needs. We will use the months ahead to take advantage of opportunities created by the surge."

By the end of July, there will be around 140,000 US troops in Iraq - about the same number as were present before the troop surge began early last year.