"Today, we have just over 140,000 trained and equipped Iraqi security forces, about 80,000 in the ministry of interior and about 60,000 in the ministry of defense," he told reporters are the Pentagon.

"Iraq has more than 90 operational combat battalions, men in both military and special police.

"And these battalions are engaged in combat across Iraq, both with coalition forces and even in some cases independently without our support, and they are performing generally very well," he said.

Training of Iraqi troops has been uneven, as they have at times shied from battle with rebels. However, leaving an Iraqi security force in place is, along with forming a working government, will in part determine when US troops can withdraw.

"We will continue to build Iraqi divisions and brigades that are capable of independent counterinsurgency operations so that the Iraqi armed forces themselves can take the leading role in fighting the insurgency and the coalition forces can move to a supporting role," Casey said.

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