WASHINGTON, April 11 (Xinhuanet) -- The US-led military campaign in Iraq is making enough progress in fighting insurgents and training Iraqi security forces to allow the Pentagon to plan for significant troops reductions by early next year, senior US commanders and Pentagon officials said.

    Although senior US officers are wary of declaring success too soon against the insurgency, there is a consensus emerging among them about several positive developing trends, although each carries a cautionary note, the New York Times reported on Monday.

    Attacks on allied forces have dropped to 30 to 40 a day, down from an average daily peak of 140 in the prelude to the Jan. 30 elections but still roughly at the level of a year ago.

    US commanders said it now takes longer for insurgents to regroup and conduct a series of attacks with new tactics, like the one on the night of April 2 against the Abu Ghraib prison that wounded 44 Americans and 13 Iraqi prisoners.

    The American military's priority has shifted from waging offensive operations to training Iraqi troops and police officers. The Pentagon said more than 152,000 Iraqis have been trained and equipped for the military or the police but the quality and experience of the forces varies widely.

    Precisely when and how many American forces withdraw from Iraq hinges on several factors including the security situation, the size and competence of newly trained Iraqi forces and the wishes of the new Iraqi government, the report quoted senior officials assaying.

    General George W. Casey Jr., the top commander in Iraq, said two weeks ago that if all went well, the Pentagon should be able to make some fairly substantial reductions in the size of American forces by this time next year.

    Other senior military officials said American force levels in Iraq could drop to around 105,000 by early next year from the current level of 142,000 now. Enditem