WASHINGTON - January 29 - Democratic Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich today said Americans can expect more and more U.S. soldiers in Iraq to be denied the right to leave when their terms of duty are over.

"The Army has already exceeded by roughly 10,000 its legal limit of 482,000 troops by refusing to let soldiers leave or retire. Now the Pentagon is asking to raise the limit by 30,000. Senator Kerry sounds a similar theme, advocating another 40,000 troops in Iraq.

"The only way this can be done without a draft is to deny more soldiers the right to come home when their terms of service are finished and when their families expect them home.

"This constitutes involuntary service. What's the difference between this and a draft?

"The administration is taking away the right of soldiers to leave the military after they have served. Only by doing this are they able to continue the illegal occupation of Iraq.

"We have an alternative. We can work with the UN to bring UN peacekeepers into Iraq and bring our troops home."

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