Iraq's vice president says neither Iraq nor Western interests will benefit from a "short-notice" withdrawal of U.S. troops in Iraq. Tariq al-Hashimi has welcomed a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, but said it must take place when Iraqi troops are ready to handle security on their own.

U.S. President George W. Bush today said he will veto legislation that links funds for the Iraq war to a timeline for the troop withdrawal.

Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani says an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq would worsen the situation in the country.

The British military today handed over a key base in the southern city of Al-Basrah to Iraqi forces as part of British troops' gradual withdrawal from Iraq.