Iraqi leaders warned today that an early US troop withdrawal could tip Iraq into all-out civil war.
It was reported in today's edition of the New York Timesthat debate was growing in the White House over a gradual scaling-down of forces.
"We might see the country collapse," Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari, a Kurd, said when asked about the New York Timesreport.
Citing administration officials and consultants, the Timessaid these officials feared the last pillars of political support among Senate Republicans for President George W. Bush's Iraq strategy were "collapsing around them".
It said debate was intensifying over whether Mr Bush should try to prevent more Republican defections by announcing intentions for a gradual pullout of troops from high-casualty areas.
More than 330 American soldiers were killed in Iraq during the April-June quarter, making it the deadliest three months for US troops since the March 2003 US-led invasion. Overall, 3,606 US soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis have died.
Iraqi officials said the country's own security forces were not ready and warned a premature withdrawal of some of the 157,000 American troops could produce a security vacuum.
"We in Iraq believe, not just the government, but all political parties, that the presence of these forces is necessary to prevent increasing violence and to stop the country sliding into civil war," a senior adviser to Shia Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, said.
Sunni Arab Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi said: "I would be very happy to see the last American soldier leave today. . . . We understand their worry about not seeing much political progress in Iraq. But the problem is: Who will fill the security vacuum if these forces withdraw?"