The US Defense Department announced Monday that about 92,000 American troops will rotate into Iraq next year, and the scheduled rotation for these forces will begin in mid-2006.

The move involves several combat brigades, headquarters elements, and combat support and combat service support units, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Of the 92,000 soldiers, over 65,000 come from the active service, and 26,000 come from the National Guard and the Reserve.

More than 79,000 troops scheduled for the upcoming rotation will serve the Army's 12-month term in Iraq, and over 5,000 Marines to be affected will maintain their seven-month deployment cycle, according to Barry Venable, a Pentagon spokesman.

"The US force rotations may be tailored based upon changes in the security situation," the statement said.

Currently there are about 160,000 US troops in Iraq, up from this year's usual level of 138,000.

So far more than 210,000 Iraqi security forces have been trained and equipped, and one Iraqi army division, four brigades and 23 battalions currently have the operational lead in their areas, Venable said.

Source: Xinhua