(9.1.2007) Lieutenant-General Raymond Odierno, the No. 2 commander in Iraq, declined to discuss the proposed addition of up to 20,000 US and Iraqi troops in Baghdad, saying he preferred to wait for the US President, George Bush, to outline the policy. However, he said he wanted his forces to begin with a push against both Sunni and Shiite fighters and „three or four months from now“ retreat to the outskirts of the capital in a supporting role.