U.S. Out of Iraq in Five Years, Says Report

A report by the United States Institute of Peace says it will be five years before all American troops can be removed from Iraq. The number of troops can be halved in three years.

"The United States faces too many challenges around the world to continue its current level of effort in Iraq, or even the deployment that was in place before the surge," the report said.

A sustainable military presence "is likely no more than half the current level within three years, with a view to removing all units within five years, when all US bases should be turned over to the Iraqi government," it said.

"Only when the Iraqis and their neighbors perceive the real prospect of US withdrawal will they feel the need to take on greater responsibility."

The institute's report was released at the start of a week of drama in Washington as General David Petraeus and Baghdad ambassador Ryan Crocker, the top two Americans in Iraq, prepare to testify in Congress Monday and Tuesday.

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The Bush administration should focus on five key objectives as it charts its next steps in Iraq, the institute's report said. Those were:

-- Prevent Iraq from becoming a safe haven for international terrorists;

-- Restore US credibility, prestige and capacity to act worldwide;

-- Improve regional stability;

-- Limit and redirect Iranian influence;

-- Maintain Iraq as a single, independent state.