Bush speech expected on troops withdrawal

The US President is expected to make a speech in the next few days, following plans outlined by the top US general in Iraq for the withdrawal of as many as 30,000 troops by next summer.

General David Petraeus said a 2,000-member Marine unit would return home this month without replacement in the first sizeable cut since a 2003 US-led invasion overthrew president Saddam Hussein and unleashed sectarian violence.