WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- The US Defense Department tentatively plans to reduce the number of US forces in Iraq in early 2006 by as many as three combat brigades, but will keep at least one brigade "on call" in Kuwait in case more troops are needed quickly, several senior military officers said.

    The Pentagon made the tentative plan based on the assumption that there would not be any major surprises in Iraq, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

    Pentagon authorities have set a series of "decision points" during 2006 to consider further force cuts that, under a "moderately optimistic" scenario, would drop the total number of troops from more than 150,000 now to fewer than 100,000, including 10 combat brigades, by the end of the year, the officers were quoted as saying.

    Military commanders continued to favor a gradual, phased reduction, saying that too rapid a departure would sacrifice strategic gains made over the past 30 months and provide a propaganda windfall to insurgents, the report said.

    The current number of US forces in Iraq represented an increaseof more than 15,000 troops over a base level this year of about 138,000, including 17 combat brigades. The equivalent of another brigade's worth of combat power was added this fall to bolster security for the Oct. 15 constitutional referendum and the coming Dec. 15 vote on a new national government. Enditem