Meanwhile, U.S. troop levels in Iraq will remain at about 160, 000 through early 2008, Lt Gen.

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Mr Gates, who arrived in Baghdad on an unannounced visit on Wednesday, met the commander of US military forces in Iraq, Lt Gen Lloyd Austin, before holding talks with Iraqi leaders.

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Senegalese Lt Gen Babacar Gaye joined a UN convoy to Beirut on Saturday.

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He also held meetings with Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, the country's army chief, and Lt Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha, director-general of the ISI intelligence agency.

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The US Marine Corps last year had to publicly upbraid Lt Gen James Mattis after he cheerfully admitted on a panel discussion that he enjoyed war.

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The orders were later withdrawn in the face of opposition from two top security officials at the time - chief-of-staff Lt Gen Gabi Ashkenazi and the head of the intelligence service, Mossad, Meir Dagan.

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In his most famous case, he defended former Vice-President Lt-Gen Christon Tembo and others who were charged in 1989 with plotting to overthrow Kenneth Kaunda.

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Much of this is the work of Lt Gen Simon Mayall, Britain's defence senior adviser to the Middle East, appointed in 2011.

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Lt Gen Nick Carter said the insurgency tended to be at its "highest tempo" in the summer months.

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