WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States would reduce the number of US troops in Afghanistan from 19,000 to 16,000 by March next year, CNN reported Tuesday, quoting Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

    Rumsfeld signed an order on M onday to reduce the number of US troops in Afghanistan, The New York Times said Tuesday. An formal announcement on the reductions was expected later Tuesday, the report said.

    The Washington Post also reported Tuesday that the Pentagon planned to downsize troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, the Post report said, the Pentagon planned to reduce the number of US troops by about 2,500, a drop that would reflect an increasing NATO presence there.

    Instead of sending the 10th Mountain Division's 4th Brigade to replace the 173rd Airborne Brigade, as planned, the Army would send a 1,200-troop task force from the unit.

    Plans to reduce the number of US troops in Iraq were likely to go forward following last week's Iraqi elections, as the US military continued to shift responsibility for security to Iraqi forces.

    The planned reduction, first announced last month, could bring the number of US forces in Iraq to about 129,000 from a baseline of 138,000.

    The number of US combat brigades were likely to decline from 17 to 15 in the spring, a measured reduction designed to give Iraqis more control over security while continuing to provide a strong US presence, the Post report said.

    There are now about 150,000 US troops in Iraq. Enditem