U.S. commander blames ''terrorists & death squads'' for surge of violence

[leftchick]

http://www.newspress.com/Top/Article/article.jsp?Section=WORLD&ID=564768739196011195

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The top U.S. commander in Iraq said Wednesday that ''terrorists and death squads'' are mainly responsible for a surge in sectarian violence in the capital, and he pledged to provide whatever U.S. forces are needed to avert civil war.

Gen. George Casey, at a joint news conference with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, told reporters that al-Qaida is carrying out terrorist killings in the Baghdad area in an attempt to ''demonstrate that they are still relevant'' after the June 7 killing of their leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

'What we are seeing now as a counter to that is death squads, primarily from Shiite extremist groups that are retaliating against civilians,'' Casey said. ''So you have both sides now attacking civilians, and that is what has caused the recent spike in violence here in Baghdad.''

Casey said he was consulting with the Iraqi government on means of counteracting the violence. Asked whether that might include putting more U.S. troops in the Baghdad area, Casey replied, ''It may, yes.''

''We'll make sure there are adequate forces available for the Iraqis to succeed in Baghdad,'' he added. Rumsfeld said earlier Wednesday that the number of Iraqi and U.S. troops in Baghdad had recently grown from 40,000 to about 55,000.

[bemildred]

1. He certainly has a talent for stating the obvious.

I expect the unintended irony escapes him, though.

[leftchick]

3. yes

he and rummy make a good pair don't they?

[jobycom]

2. Katrina wouldn't have been so bad without all that water and wind.

Kind of like that.