WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- The top U.S. commander in Iraq conceded Thursday that the U.S. army was stretched because of continuing wars, in contrast with top U.S. politicians' unwillingness to admit it.

    "The forces are stretched...... and I don't think there's any question about it, " Casey was quoted by U.S. media as saying.

    However, he said the U.S. army is going through a modernization strategy that will produce more units and more ready units.

    Casey said he has discussed the manpower strain with U.S. army chief of staff Peter Schoomaker on Wednesday.

    Nevertheless, the two agreed that the U.S. military can still sustain missions around the world, including completing the Iraq mission.

    A day earlier, Andrew Krepinevich, a retired U.S. army officer,concluded in a Pentagon-contracted report that the army has been overstretched to a "breaking point" and may not sustain the pace of troop deployments to Iraq long enough to crush the insurgency.

    Both U.S. President George W. Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld dismissed the assertions, saying all the "breaking point"talk is misleading. Enditem