Iraq war may get tougher, U.S. commander says By Andrew Gray
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States' struggle to stabilize Iraq may get harder before it gets easier and runs the risk of higher U.S. and Iraqi casualties, the top U.S. commander in charge of the war said on Thursday.
Army Gen. David Petraeus provided his assessment the day after the Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives pushed through legislation calling for U.S. troops to begin withdrawing from Iraq by October 1.
President George W. Bush has pledged to veto the bill, passed by the Senate on Thursday, and Petraeus said sectarian violence in Iraq would likely rise if his troops pulled back from securing Baghdad in the fall.
"My sense is that there would be an increase in sectarian violence, a resumption of sectarian violence, were the presence of our forces and Iraqi forces, at that time, to be reduced," Petraeus told reporters at the Pentagon.
He said the new effort to curb violence with more troops, ordered by Bush in January, meant going into neighborhoods where extremists had been able to operate freely.
"Because we are operating in new areas and challenging elements in those areas, this effort may get harder before it gets easier," said Petraeus, who has briefed Bush and members of Congress on the war during his visit to Washington.
"I think there is the very real possibility that there's going to be more combat action and that, therefore, there could be more casualties," he said.
With four days still to go, April has already been the deadliest month this year for U.S. forces in Iraq. Eighty-seven U.S. troops have been killed this month, according to the independent icasualties.org Web site.
More than 3,330 U.S. troops and many tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed since the war began in 2003.
Petraeus, who has served in the U.S. military for more than 30 years, described the situation in Iraq as "the most complex and challenging I have ever seen" and "very tough."
U.S. forces are battling al Qaeda militants, Sunni Muslim insurgents and Shi'ite Muslim death squads as well as trying to crack down on violence between sectarian groups in Iraq.
But Petraeus repeated assessments he has offered in recent days that U.S. and Iraq forces have been making some progress.
Sectarian murders are down two-thirds from their level in January, more weapons caches have been seized and Iraqis are providing more tips to security forces, he said.
Petraeus said ultimate success in Iraq would be down to the Iraqis and their ability to reconcile.
"We can provide the Iraqis an opportunity but they will have to exploit it," he said. |
