An Iraqi policeman secures the site of a suicide bombing in Baghdad on Sunday. The attack at the entrance of a Baghdad recruiting centre killed 17 and injured 39. (AFP)

Baghdad, July 10 (Reuters): A leaked British memo outlining plans to bring more than half of US troops home from Iraq within a year gives the clearest picture yet of how quickly Washington hopes Iraqi forces can take over.

The British government document, published by the Mail on Sunday newspaper, said Washington is discussing plans to cut its force ? now nearly 140,000 ? to just 66,000 by the middle of next year. Britain would cut its own force to 3,000 from 8,500.

“Emerging US plans assume 14 out of 18 provinces could be handed over to Iraqi control by early 2006,” the memo said, although it made clear the US military’s tempo for troop cuts is not set in stone, with commanders still divided: “There is, however, a debate between the Pentagon/Centcom, who favour a relatively bold reduction in force numbers and the multinational force in Iraq, whose approach is more cautious.”

British defence secretary John Reid did not deny that the memo was genuine, although he said it represented only “prudent planning” for one possible scenario.

But for the first time it puts a tentative timeline on the strategy President George W. Bush described in a keynote speech last month: “As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down.”

Although the memo comes from across the Atlantic, there is little reason to doubt it gives a fair view of US thinking. Washington’s closest ally has been well appraised of US strategy since Britain sent 45,000 troops to back the invasion.

As it stands, the current US-led multinational force in Iraq is made up of six divisions totalling 160,000 troops.

Poland and Britain command one each in the mainly Shia south, which has been comparatively quiet since a Shia uprising was put down in August last year. The British memo says London would turn over its territory to Iraqis early next year. Washington now has four divisions of its own, one in Baghdad and three in restive areas of the west, northeast and centre of the country.

Cutting back to 66,000 troops would leave manpower for just two full US divisions. Enough, probably, to prevent Iraqi militia from contemplating all-out sectarian war, but not enough to participate in day-to-day patrolling of most of the country.