Pentagon to relieve troops in Iraq

ANXIOUS to relieve frustrated troops, the Pentagon yesterday announced a rotation program stretching forward to April 2004.

Notably, the Third Infantry Division learnt it will return to the United States in September, after some of its troops recently criticised the Pentagon hierarchy for postponing a rotation back home.

The rotations are not expected to affect the total number of Western troops serving in Iraq, currently some 156,000 soldiers. Of this, some 148,000 are American troops. The remaining 12,400 are mainly British.