The US army is reducing the size of the force it has built up outside the Iraqi city of Najaf and is prepared to wait before moving against rebel cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, a senior officer said today.
Colonel Dana Pittard, commander of the 2,500-strong 3rd Brigade Task Force outside Najaf, said the force would be withdrawn over coming days and would be replaced by about 2,000 soldiers from the 1st Armoured Division.