What is 'Sectarian Violence' anyway? It's one citizen against another,
and can also be defined as a 'Civil War'.
---
US General: Iraq Shifting from Insurgency Toward Sectarian Violence
By Al Pessin
Pentagon
09 March 2006
The general who commands all U.S. military activities in the Middle East
says the situation in Iraq is shifting from insurgency toward sectarian
violence. And Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says Iraqi leaders need
to form a new and inclusive government soon to deal with the situation.
At a U.S. Senate committee hearing, General John Abizaid said tension in
Iraq is increasing, and the type of violence is changing.
"There's no doubt that the sectarian tensions are higher than we've
seen," he said. "And it is of great concern to all of us. It's my belief
that the security situation in the country, while changing in its nature
from insurgency toward sectarian violence, is controllable by Iraqi
security forces and multi-national forces."
Some analysts have said Iraq is in a state of civil war. Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld disagrees with that, but at the same hearing
he said insurgents are trying to start one.
"Now, obviously, insurgents and terrorists are trying to cause a civil
war," he noted. "And so they've attacked the Golden Dome shrine and
they're trying to create sectarian conflict. I don't think they're going
to be successful. I don't know. Nobody knows. The plan is to prevent a
civil war, and to the extent one were to occur, from a security
standpoint have the Iraqi security forces deal with it to the extent
their able to."
Secretary Rumsfeld declined to say what role U.S. forces would play if a
civil war broke out in Iraq. But he stressed that avoiding a civil war
is as much a political issue as it is a military one.
"The situation, to the extent that it's fragile and tense, is as much a
governance issue as it is a security issue," he added. "The need is for
the principal players in that country to recognize the seriousness of
the situation, and to come together to form a government of national
unity that will govern from the center, and to do it in a reasonably
prompt manner. And that will be what it will take, in my view, to
further calm the situation."
Iraqi leaders have been negotiating the formation of a new government
for several weeks, and U.S. officials say finishing that process has
become increasingly important. Secretary Rumsfeld says the government
must have the confidence of the security forces, must be seen as being
fair to all Iraqis and must install ministers who focus on doing their
jobs rather than gathering political spoils.
But the secretary resisted suggestions from senators to issue an
ultimatum to Iraqi leaders, or to set a timetable for a U.S. withdrawal.
He says such moves would be counterproductive, but that the Iraqi
leaders know they must take control of their country, and that all sides
want the foreign troops out of Iraq as soon as the situation allows.
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