The question of how to sustain the high level of forces abroad became more acute this week as General John P. Abizaid , the senior American commander in the Middle East , said that the number of troops in Iraq , currently at more than 140,000 , could not be expected to drop until next spring at the very earliest .
Middle East /location/location/contains Iraq
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Middle East
LOCATION
Iraq
LOCATION
/location/location/contains