Pentagon Cites Success Of Anti-U.S. Forces in Iraq (WaPo, 12/19)

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/18/AR2006121800791.html

By Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 19, 2006; Page A01

The Pentagon said yesterday that violence in Iraq soared this fall to its highest level on record and acknowledged that anti-U.S. fighters have achieved a "strategic success" by unleashing a spiral of sectarian killings by Sunni and Shiite death squads that threatens Iraq's political institutions.

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The 50-page Pentagon report, mandated quarterly by Congress, also stated for the first time that the Shiite militia of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has replaced al-Qaeda as "the most dangerous" force propelling Iraq toward civil war, as Shiite militants kill more civilians than do terrorists.

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Iraq police forces in particular are increasingly corrupt, the report found, saying some police in Baghdad have supported Shiite death squads. The police "facilitated freedom of movement and provided advance warning of upcoming operations," it said. "This is a major reason for the increased levels of murders and executions."

As a result of mass defections or police units being pulled off duty, the number of Iraqi police battalions rated as having "lead responsibility" in their areas fell from six to two, the report said, although officials said that number has since increased.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/18/AR2006121800791.html