U.S. 2015 war-funding request due to go to Congress soon: official

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale said on Tuesday the Obama administration would send its 2015 funding request for the Afghanistan war to Congress "quite soon" but he added it was unlikely to include proposals for possible operations in Iraq. Hale, who leaves office soon after five years as the Pentagon's top financial officer, said until President Barack Obama decides whether to take additional steps in Iraq, it is premature to estimate the potential costs. Hale told Reuters in an interview the downturn in defense spending that began with the Budget Control Act in 2011 was likely to be similar to previous post-war downturns. But he said violence in Iraq, Syria and other crises could lead Congress to increase defense spending. (Reporting by David Alexander and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Eric Beech)