Former American Secretary of State Colin Powell and top democratic lawmakers rejected reported White House plans to hike American troop levels in Iraq, with Powell calling the American military "about broken" by the pressure on their numbers.

Speaking on CBS television's "Face the Nation" program, Powell said he had not seen anything that would justify a reported White House plan to increase American forces in Iraq by 20,000 or more, from the current 140,000.

Meanwhile, top democratic senators Harry Reid and Ted Kennedy said American President George W. Bush needs a new strategy for bringing the troops home from Iraq.

News reports earlier this week said that the Bush administration is considering increasing the number of American soldiers in Iraq by between 20,000 and 50,000.
 
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