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US Army chief General George Casey says his force needs at least three to four years to recover from its mission in Iraq. The former commander of Coalition troops in Iraq told an annual Army press conference in Washington that, after six years of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, that US ground forces were "out of balance".

General Casey emphasised that this did not mean that the Army was "finished". However, it would take three to four years to be brought back to an even keel and to re-arm the troops for new missions.

President Bush’s decision to reinforce US combat units in Iraq by 30,000 troops has increased pressure on the Army. To guarantee this increase in strength the troops’ tours of duty have had to be increased from 12 to 15 months. The military leadership has been trying for a long time to convince the White House to cut troop numbers. In September Bush announced a reduction in troop numbers from 21,500 to 130,000 by next July.

In Iraq at least 21 people were killed at the beginning of this week in a series of bomb attacks. Police said that ten civilians were killed near Samarra by a single suicide bomber, who drove a car into a police checkpoint. Eight others were injured.

A few hours earlier a car bomb exploded in Baghdad, killing two people and injuring another five. The bomb exploded near the Polish Embassy, though none of the diplomatic staff were injured.