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InvisibleVvellum
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Registered: 05/24/04
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" Head of U.S. command: Iraq civil war possible"
    #5928764 - 08/03/06 02:33 PM (17 years, 7 months ago)

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/08/03/iraq.hearing/

Quote:



Head of U.S. command: Iraq civil war possible
Clinton, Rumsfeld exchange is polite but testy

Thursday, August 3, 2006; Posted: 4:21 p.m. EDT (20:21 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Under tough questioning from U.S. senators, the head of U.S. Central Command, Gen. John Abizaid, acknowledged Thursday that Iraq could descend into civil war.

"I believe that the sectarian violence is probably as bad as I've seen it, in Baghdad in particular, and that if not stopped it is possible that Iraq could move toward civil war," he testified at a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Fueling this possibility, he said, was the combination of "sectarian violence, al Qaeda terrorists, insurgents and Shia militants."

"Failure to apply coordinated regional and international pressure ... will further extremism" and could lead to a widening and more perilous conflict, he said.

Abizaid was joined by Gen. Peter Pace, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, whose exchanges with Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York were polite but testy.

"Under your leadership, there have been numerous errors in judgment that have led us to where we are in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Clinton, a possible 2008 Democratic candidate for the White House.

Her criticisms included not enough U.S. troops; the re-creation of the disbanded Iraqi army; and the lack of planning to maintain stability after Saddam Hussein was overthrown.

"You underestimated the nature and strength of the insurgency, the sectarian violence, and the spread of Iranian influence," said Clinton.

The United States is boosting troop levels, not decreasing them, she said, and civilian and military casualties were also rising.

Clinton also criticized Rumsfeld for underestimating the Taliban, when he said in late 2002 that the group no longer existed in Afghanistan. The Taliban, which harbored Osama bin Laden, has since resurfaced with a vengeance.

The defense secretary responded to Clinton. "Are there setbacks? Yes. Are there things that people can't anticipate? Yes. Does the enemy have a brain and continue to make adjustments on the ground requiring our forces to make adjustments? You bet," he said.

"Is that going to continue to be the case? I think so. Is this problem going to get solved in the near term about this long struggle against violent extremism? No, I don't believe it is."

Rumsfeld: Withdrawal 'premature'

Troop levels were based on what was "the best judgment" of commanders and civilian leadership, Rumsfeld said.

He reiterated his position that a withdrawal of U.S. troops must be based on evolving conditions and warned against withdrawing them "prematurely."

The enemy wants to see U.S. public opinion divided, he said. Rumsfeld also noted the difficulty of a "balance between having too many (troops) and contributing to an insurgency by the feeling of occupation -- and the risk of having too few and having the security situation not be sufficient for the political progress to go forward."

Rumsfeld disputed Clinton's contention that his assurances on successes in the past "have frankly proven to be unfulfilled."

"I don't think that's true," he said. "I have never painted a rosy picture. I have been very measured in my words." He contended it would be tough finding "instances where I have been excessively optimistic."

British envoy warned of civil war

The hearing came on the heels of a leaked diplomatic cable, in which Britain's outgoing ambassador to Baghdad, William Patey, warned that civil war was more likely than a successful transition to democracy in Iraq. (Details)

Sen. John McCain asked Pace and Abizaid if they had anticipated sectarian strife between Sunnis and Shiites a year ago.

Pace said he hadn't expected it. Abizaid said it was clear tensions were rising, but he did not expect such a high level of sectarian violence.

Abizaid defined three main objectives in dealing with the Middle East, which he said he has "rarely seen ... so unsettled and so volatile." Those aims were defeating al Qaeda; deterring Iran; and developing a comprehensive solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

He was optimistic, however, that the "slide can be prevented."

"The army is holding together ... and the government is committed to bringing the sectarian violence under control," Abizaid said.

'A game of whack-a-mole'

Sectarian killings in Iraq have escalated since the February 22 bombing of the Shiite Askariya Mosque in Samarra. Nearly 6,000 people died in Iraq violence in May and June alone, according to a recent U.N. report.

McCain was also concerned that U.S. troops are moved from one trouble spot to another. "What I worry about is -- we're playing a game of whack-a-mole."

He cited Falluja and Ramadi as examples. "Everybody knows we've got big problems in Ramadi, and I said, 'Where are you going to get the troops?' 'Well we're going to have to move them from Falluja.'

"Now we're going to have to move troops into Baghdad from someplace else," he said referring to the deployment of U.S. troops to the capital to support Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's crackdown on insurgents. "It's very disturbing."


Nearly 2,600 U.S. service members have been killed in the 3-year-old war.

Fears of warfare spreading

Senators fear that the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon could threaten missions in places like Iraq.

Abizaid warned that if "nonstate" enemies of the United States dominate this century, "We are in for even greater dangers.

"It should not be lost on us, for example, that Hezbollah fields greater and longer-range weapons than most regional armed forces.

"If left unchecked, it is possible to imagine chemical, biological or even nuclear weapons being transferred to militias or terrorist organizations by a state actor."

CNN's Barbara Starr and Dana Bash contributed to this report.



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OfflineThe_Red_Crayon
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Re: " Head of U.S. command: Iraq civil war possible" [Re: Vvellum]
    #5929438 - 08/03/06 06:48 PM (17 years, 7 months ago)

Civil war possible? What is exactly the situation right now supposed to be called Civil Conflict?

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Offlinewilshire
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Re: " Head of U.S. command: Iraq civil war possible" [Re: Vvellum]
    #5931728 - 08/04/06 02:58 PM (17 years, 7 months ago)

let 'em at eachother. why is everyone so sure that keeping that part of the world from killing itself is a good thing?


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OfflineJ4S0N
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Re: " Head of U.S. command: Iraq civil war possible" [Re: wilshire]
    #5931791 - 08/04/06 03:15 PM (17 years, 7 months ago)

Because usually in a war one side wins and the other doesn't. Mutual assured destruction only works when both sides have large amounts of Abombs pointed at each other.

The problem is the USA has invested a ton of money in that region, and they have a side they want to win this civil war. Its very unlikely that both sides will kill each other. Which is why we won't see the US army leaving that region for a very long time.


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"The Central Intelligence Agency owns everyone of any significance in the major media." ~ William Colby, Former Director, CIA

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OfflinexDuckYouSuckerx
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Re: " Head of U.S. command: Iraq civil war possible" [Re: J4S0N]
    #5931798 - 08/04/06 03:17 PM (17 years, 7 months ago)

I hope not, i'll be pissed off if I miss a combat tour because that peace craze started to spread over there.


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Unions are the bastions of the mediocre. - luvdemshrooms

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InvisibleVvellum
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Registered: 05/24/04
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Re: " Head of U.S. command: Iraq civil war possible" [Re: wilshire]
    #5931868 - 08/04/06 03:34 PM (17 years, 7 months ago)

...because US troops will be in the middle of it and coming home in boxes. Pull the troops out, cut our funding, and I couldnt care less if they fight.

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OfflineBasilides
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Re: " Head of U.S. command: Iraq civil war possible" [Re: Vvellum]
    #5932606 - 08/04/06 08:15 PM (17 years, 7 months ago)

I thought this kind of speculation was more popular in the first have of 2005. 100+ people die daily in Iraq from sectarian violence, so it's fairly obvious a civil war is ensuing.


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"Have you found the beginning, then, that you are looking for the end? You see, the end will be where the beginning is. Congratulations to the one who stands at the beginning: that one will know the end and will not taste death."

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