An independent panel commissioned to consider options on the future of US policy in Iraq is set to call for a withdrawal of US combat troops by early 2008, leaving behind only soldiers for training and support, it was reported today.

The Iraq Study Group, which is co-chaired by James Baker, the former secretary of state, will recommend shifting US troops to a secondary role, enabling the Iraqi government and local security forces to take the lead in fighting insurgents and attempting to end sectarian violence, according to the Washington Post.

The proposed date is not to be set in stone, but rather a goal based on circumstances on the ground, the newspaper claimed, citing sources familiar with the commission.

Although it was unclear exactly how many troops would be left behind, some associates claimed that it could be possible to reduce US presence – currently at 140,000 – to around half that number.

"It’s really about transitioning from a combat to a support role, and basically making very clear that this is no longer an open-ended commitment and we’re going to get this done whether the Iraqis like it or not," one of the sources said.

"Everybody understands that we’re at the end of the road here."

The bipartisan panel is also said to call for embedding US soldiers directly with Iraqi security units starting in January to improve their efficiency.

The 10-member Iraq Study Group is to reveal its much-awaited findings on December 6, and is set to include variety of proposals, including engaging in dialogue with Syria and Iran, both of which hold crucial influence in the region.

Although its recommendations are not binding, the group provides George Bush with a key opportunity to overhaul his policy on Iraq, at a time when bloodshed in the conflict-torn country shows few signs of abating.

Yet advisers to the panel and others aware of its work indicated the recommendations will not be dramatically different from current policy or from ideas already under debate within the administration.

The US currently provides the vast majority of the 160,000-strong multinational force, and the President is has been under immense pressure to set a timetable for their withdrawal.

But Mr Bush has repeatedly rejected a wholesale pullout or what he calls artificial deadlines. "This business about a graceful exit just simply has no realism to it at all," he said yesterday.

On Thursday, the New York Times reported that the commission had agreed to recommend withdrawing 15 US combat brigades - the bulk of the US fighting presence - leaving behind 70,000 or more trainers, logistics experts and members of a rapid reaction force.

The Pentagon has been conducting its own review, and the White House has also commissioned a government-wide reassessment of US policy in Iraq.

Asked when Mr Bush would reach a decision on implementing the advice, Stephen Hadley, US national security adviser, said: "It’s going to be weeks rather than months," but offered no further details.

In Baghdad, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said he believed that his forces would be in a position in six months to take full control of security. "I can say that Iraqi forces will be ready, fully ready, to receive this command and to command its own forces. And I can tell you that, by next June, our forces will be ready," he told ABC News.

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