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Top UK and U.S. Officials Warning of Impending Civil War in Iraq, Bush & Blair Still in Denial |
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Written by Staff
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Thursday, 03 August 2006 |
Following on the heels of an earlier report on Thursday from the UK-based BBC News that Britain's ambassador to Baghdad had warned Prime Minister Tony Blair of imminent civil war in Iraq, two top U.S. Generals are warning President George W. Bush of the very same threat.
Outgoing UK ambassador to Baghdad William Patey wrote in his final official telegram to London that not only was Iraq poised to dissolve into a "low intensity civil war" but he also predicted that the country will break up and divide along ethnic lines.
"The prospect of a low intensity civil war and a de facto division of Iraq", wrote Patey, " is probably more likely at this stage than a successful and substantial transition to a stable democracy". Patey predicts that Iraq will see no stability for at least "five to 10 years".
Meanwhile in The U.S. General John Abizaid, senior U.S. commander in the Middle East along with chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace has told the U.S. Congress that they too fear that Iraq will soon be embroiled in a violent civil war.
Several world political figures including Iraq's former interim prime minister Iyad Allawi and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak believe that Iraq has already descended into a full-blown civil war. Not everyone agrees however that the situation is that dire including U.S. President George W. Bush, Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld who continue to maintain their position that civil war in the region is not a probability and can be avoided.
Violence has steadily increased in Iraq during the last several months and much of it has been centered in and around the city of Baghdad. Responding to the worsening violence, U.S. President Bush has reassigned at least 3,700 more American troops to the Iraqi capital.
Since the 2003 invasion and occupation of Iraq by U.S.-led coalition forces, 2,571 American troops have been killed and 19,157 wounded. At least 229 coalition deaths have also occured including 115 British soldiers. Non-military personnel have also suffered losses including 311 contractors, 87 journalists, 20 media support workers, and 150 aid workers. |
