Brigadier General Carter Ham, deputy director of operations of the Joint Staff, said he was unaware of specific targets for a US drawdown this year despite ambitious goals espoused by new Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

"We want to do it as soon as we can, but you can't do it too fast. We've talked about rushing to failure. We've got to be very careful to not do that," Ham told reporters here.

Ham spoke as US forces were struggling to regain control over the western city of Ramadi, the scene of repeated clashes between US troops and insurgents.

Calling it "the most contentious city in Iraq," Ham said US army soldiers and Marines were in frequent contact with insurgents there.

He said it was unclear who the insurgents were but they were believed to be a combination Al-Qaeda in Iraq fighters trying to establish a safe haven and other Sunni rebel groups.

"There isn't a large-scale offensive either way, but there is this wrestling for control of space inside the city as well as protection for the people who live there," he said.

Asked about reports that commanders were considering bringing in an additional battalion from Kuwait to help deal with the upsurge in violence, Ham said he did not think such an increase in the 133,000-strong was forthcoming.

"The key in my mind will be not how many or how few US forces are there but how can we best help the Iraqis to establish control in their city," he said.

He said US commanders "are working very hard with the Iraqi ministries defense and interior to get the right Iraqi force on the ground in Ramadi to help a very, very difficult situation."

"It isn't a situation that we can resolve, the Iraqis have got to," he said.

Al-Maliki has yet to name ministers to the interior, defense and state security portfolios.

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