The program unveils plans for troop rotations stretching forward to April

The announcement, which notably revealed the 3rd Infantry Division will return to the United States in September, was made to reporters by General Jack Keane, the US Army's interim chief-of-staff.

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 odd soldiers are mainly British.

The US also has some 2,400 special forces troops deployed in Iraq.

A "multinational division" under Polish command is due to arrive in the theatre between September and October, where it will replace the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.

It's also anticipated the 101st Airborne Division will be replaced between February and March 2004 by an as yet unspecified "multinational division," according to general Keane.

In the past week, some 16,000 soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division, the main fighting force which overthrew Saddam Hussein's government, learned -- while expressing frustration at the Pentagon's hierarchy -- their planned rotation had been postponed due to continued guerilla attacks.

At least 41 American soldiers have died from guerilla attacks in Iraq since May 1st, the day US president George W. Bush declared an end to major combat operations in the country.

The Pentagon announcement is likely to cheer some soldiers' families who have also expressed dismay at the rotation delays.

The 3rd Infantry Division will be replaced for a period of six months by the 82nd Airborne Division. The new deployments are foreseen lasting up to one year.

The 173rd Airborne Brigade will return to Italy.

General Keane acknowledged that such missions, when troops are deployed in multiple theatres around the world, often applies a lot of pressure on family relationships.

"For our soldiers, the global war on terrorism is personal, it's often brutal, extremely terrorising, it's very demanding, and death is always a silent companion," but "they perform this mission with extraordinary dedication and competence," Keane said.

The Pentagon is also suffering from the fact that more foreign troops, under a United Nations mandate, are not replenishing US forces, as shown by India's recent decision not to send 23,000 troops to Iraq, an American officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The US Army has a total of 368,900 troops deployed overseas, in 120 countries including the Balkans and Afghanistan, out of a total 485,000 active service personel, plus 206,000 reservists and 352,000 National Guard troops.

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, who has just returned from Iraq, was anxious to point out Wednesday that "their (troops) morale is high."

"They understand their mission," he added.

Nevertheless, the Pentagon's number two, said soldiers had told him "the worst thing for us is uncertainty" in terms of when they would return home.

"We welcome any foreign forces that want to come and help," Wolfowitz said adding he was "delighted" with the contribution made by some 3,000 Italian policemen.

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